De-orbiting satellites in LEO using solar sails

Romagnoli, Daniele; Theil, Stephan

doi:10.7446/jaesa.0402.05

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The fourth category of space debris is marked by objects smaller than 3 mm, are estimated at a LEO population of about 10 million, can cause localized damage to spacecraft, and collision effects from them are dealt with through improved designs and shielding [1]. According to [2], in 2006 ASI, BNSC, CNES, DLR and ESA signed a "European Code of Conduct", which defined a set of suggested rules to prevent increasing the amount of space debris in the next years. This document led to the ESA's document "Requirements on Space Debris Mitigation for Agency Projects" on April 2008, which defines the rules to be followed by every future European mission.…”

Section: Leo Debrismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, a foldable pyramid (FRODO) for CubeSat deorbiting is also discussed in the paper. In [2], the use of solar sails as devices to speed up the de-orbiting of LEO objects is considered. The 1999 DLR successful deployment test of a 20X20 meters square sail, NanoSail-D2, and the Gossamer solar sail activities roadmap are described.…”

Section: Solar Sails As Deorbiting Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deorbiting Upper-Stages in LEO at EOM using Solar Sails

Alexandru¹

2017

INCAS BULLETIN

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Section: Leo Debrismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Solar Sails As Deorbiting Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deorbiting Upper-Stages in LEO at EOM using Solar Sails

Alexandru¹

2017

INCAS BULLETIN

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“…Unfortunately, the only interplanetary mission to successfully employ solar sails has been IKAROS. Many other missions have been proposed, but all were canceled because of budget-constraints or lack of confidence in the technology due to its novelty [6]. Before solar sails are employed on high risk interplanetary missions, the confidence in the technology must grow.…”

Section: Solar Sailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One idea for a low-cost mission application is to use solar sails to help de-orbit LEO objects. NASA and ESA have a requirement that every satellite in an orbit with an altitude below 2000 km must de-orbit within 25 years after the end of its mission [6]. For satellites lower than ~600 km, this can often be done by letting atmospheric drag pull the orbit down.…”

Section: Solar Sailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atomic Oxygen Considerations For LEO De-Orbit Trajectories Using Solar Sails

Fugett¹

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Solar sails have the potential to benefit many future space exploration missions, but they lack the heritage required for present-day use. To grow confidence in solar sail technology, they could be deployed on LEO satellites higher than 600 km to help de-orbit the satellite within 25 years upon mission termination. To determine how atomic oxygen would affect the solar sail, material from Lightsail-2 was tested in a thermal-energy, isotropic, atomic oxygen vacuum chamber based in the space environments laboratory in California Polytechnic State University. The sail material, aluminized Mylar, was tested for its survivability on both the coated and uncoated side, as well as tested for the optical degradation of the coated side. The uncoated side was found to be completely eroded after a fluence of 2.27 x10 20 atoms/cm 2 , or ~40 days in International Space Station orbit. The coated side experienced no mass loss, but signs of significant undercutting were found with a fluence of 1.19 x10 21 atoms/cm 2 , or ~200 days at station orbit. The stitches present on the coated side, meant to prevent tear propagation, eroded before the sample experienced a fluence of 4.13 x10 20 atoms/cm 2 , or ~70 days at station orbit. The average total reflectivity of the material dropped by ~5% after atomic oxygen exposure, however no correlation with fluence was found. Average specular reflectivity remained unchanged after atomic oxygen exposure. The reflectivity results were impacted by wrinkling in the material, which was found to have a much larger impact than atomic oxygen exposure. These results were paired with an optimal de-orbit trajectory algorithm, developed in this thesis, to determine how atomic oxygen would affect a solar sail deployed to de-orbit an 800 km LEO satellite with a ballistic coefficient of 0.1. Using a simplified 2D orbit case, it was found that the satellite would de-orbit within 12-18 years, depending primarily on the solar activity level. The measured worst-case for optical degradation increased deorbit time by ~6 months. Additionally, assuming that the sail material was perfectly reflecting decreased de-orbit time by 2-4 years. The amount of fluence required to erode the uncoated Mylar, and the amount required to erode the stitches, were both reached long before the satellite re-entered. It is therefore recommended that the solar sail minimize uncoated side exposure to atomic oxygen, and a more atomic oxygen-resistant stitch material be found. The fluence required to produce significant material undercutting was reached only once the satellite's orbit had degraded to below 400 km. But the undercutting was observed to structurally compromise the material; thus, future LEO solar sail mission designers must take care when balancing added performance with higher failure risk when considering the tension in the deployed sail.

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“…Simulated cross sectional area over time at 620 km (left) and 450 km (right) of a 2-D body in orbit[37]. Note the y-axis scale is different on each plot.…”

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confidence: 99%

Analysis of an Inflatable Gossamer Device to Efficiently De-Orbit CubeSats

Hawkins¹,

Robert²

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There is an increased need for spacecraft to quickly and efficiently de-orbit themselves as the amount of debris in orbit around Earth grows. Defunct spacecraft pose a significant threat to the LEO environment due to their risk of fragmentation. If these spacecraft are de-orbited at the end of their useful life their risk to future spacecraft is greatly lessened. A proposed method of efficiently de-orbiting spacecraft is to use an inflatable thin-film envelope to increase the body's area to mass ratio and thusly shortening its orbital lifetime. The system and analysis presented in this project is sized for use on a CubeSat as they are an effective utility as a technology demonstration platform. Analysis has been performed to characterize the orbital dynamics of high area to mass ratio spacecraft as well as the leak rate of such an inflatable device in a vacuum environment. Results show that a 1U CubeSat can be de-orbited using a 1.7 meter diameter spherical device in just under one year while using 0.7 grams of inflating gas, this is compared to over 25 years without any method of post-mission disposal. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank Dr. Abercromby for all of her help and guidance throughout the years of classes, senior project work, and thesis work. Kim Aaron and Kerry Nock of Global Aerospace Corporation for all of their insight and time.

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De-orbiting satellites in LEO using solar sails

Cited by 6 publications

References 5 publications

Deorbiting Upper-Stages in LEO at EOM using Solar Sails

Deorbiting Upper-Stages in LEO at EOM using Solar Sails

Atomic Oxygen Considerations For LEO De-Orbit Trajectories Using Solar Sails

Analysis of an Inflatable Gossamer Device to Efficiently De-Orbit CubeSats

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