Mission Planning of GEO Active Debris Removal Based on Revolver Mode

The mission planning of active debris removal (ADR) of revolver mode on geosynchronous orbit (GEO) is studied in this paper. It is assumed that there are one service satellite, one space depot, and some pieces of space debris in the ADR mission. The service satellite firstly rendezvouses with the debris and then releases the thruster deorbit kits (TDKs), which are carried with the satellite, to push the debris to the graveyard orbit. Space depot will provide replenishment for the service satellite. The purpose of this mission planning is to optimize the ADR sequence of the service satellite, which represents the chronological order, in which the service satellite approaches different debris. In this paper, the mission cost will be stated firstly, and then a mathematical optimization model is proposed. ADR sequence and orbital transfer time are used as designed variables, whereas the fuel consumption in the whole mission is regarded as objective for optimizing, and a specific number of TDKs is also a new constraint. Then, two-level optimization is proposed to solve the mission planning problem, which is low-level for finding optimal transfer orbit using accelerated particle swarm optimization (APSO) algorithm and up-level for finding best mission sequence using immune genetic (IGA) algorithm. Numerical simulations are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model and the optimization method. Results show that TDK number influences the fuel consumption through impacting the replenishing frequency and TDK redundancy. To reduce fuel consumption, the TDK number should be optimized and designed with suitable replenishing frequency and minimum TDK redundancy.

Dynamics Modeling and Simulation of a Net Closing Mechanism for Tether-Net Capture

Tether-net is a promising active debris removal technique, and a closing mechanism can ensure the reliable wrapping of space debris by using tether-net. This study focuses on the dynamics model of the split closing mechanism and the sliding joint between thread and ring. First, a new kind of closing mechanism is proposed, which drives the closing thread to close the net mouth through the split masses, and the mass-spring-damper method is used to model tether-net. Thereafter, for the first time, the model of thread-ring sliding joint is proposed based on the mass-spring-damper method, which can be used to simulate the closing process of tether-net. Finally, one-edge closure experiment of the net is carried out and the experimental results are compared with the simulation results, and the closing process of the tether-net is simulated by using the thread-ring sliding joint. Results reveal that the thread-ring sliding joint can be used to simulate the relative slip between the thread and the ring, and the tether-net can wrap the target reliably in a short time by using the split closing system. The split closing mechanism can make it possible for the tether-net to close successfully, whether it starts to work before or after the net contacts with the target.