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Daily news   |
SSTL to Lead UK Space
Agency Project to Study Active De-orbit of Space
Debris 09 Dec 2021 Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
(SSTL) has been selected to lead a UK Space Agency
study to define the mission requirements for a
complex mission to de-orbit two non-operational
space debris targets. SSTL is a world-leader in the
manufacture and in-orbit operation of small
satellites, and has valuable experience in two
previous Active Debris Removal (ADR) demonstration
missions; RemoveDEBRIS, which concluded a series of
debris retrieval demonstrations in January 2019, and
Astroscale’s 2021 ELSA-d mission for which SSTL
supplied the Client “target” satellite. The LEOPARD
study will be led by SSTL and delivered by a
consortium of leading UK space companies and
academia to benefit from the wide breadth of
specialised expertise required to deliver a
successful Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission. The
LEOPARD consortium includes Airbus Defence and
Space, GMV NSL, Northern Space and Security Limited
(NORSS), Satellite Applications Catapult, University
of Lincoln, University of Surrey and ClearSpace. SSTL’s CERISE satellite was the
first verified case of an accidental collision
between two manufactured objects in Space back in
1996. CERISE was hit by a catalogued space debris
object from an Ariane rocket in 1996, making it the
first verified case of a collision between two
objects in space. The collision
tore off a portion of the satellite’s
gravity-gradient stabilisation boom, which left the
satellite severely damaged, and its performance was
compromised. Today the European Space Agency say
that they perform on average two manoeuvres per
Earth orbiting satellite per year with the number of
conjunction warnings increasing over time, and the
recent anti-satellite missile test conducted by
Russia which created a cloud of new debris at an
altitude of between 440km and 520km above Earth, has
brought the topic of space debris to the fore once
again. Currently more than 30,000 manufactured
non-operational objects are regularly tracked around
the Earth, however many millions of minor objects
remain undetected and because the UK is reliant on
satellites for services that support critical
national infrastructure such as navigation,
telecommunications, security and weather
forecasting, it has become crucial to remove space
debris and prevent further collisions between
objects. “SSTL understands the risks of
space debris.” said SSTL’s Managing Director, Phil
Brownnett. “We have significant expertise derived
from over 500 operational satellite years and
together with our work on ADR demonstrator missions
such as RemoveDEBRIS and Astroscale’s ELSA-d we are
driving new concepts and technologies capable of
delivering a milestone double Active Debris Removal
mission for the UK. We are committed to combating
the issue of space debris to keep satellites
operating safely and provide a sustainable future
for space missions.” Jacob Geer, Head of Space
Surveillance and Tracking at the UK Space Agency,
said: “Space debris poses a growing risk to
satellites and the vital services they provide, as
well as to human spaceflight and astronauts. This
new project will draw on SSTL’s significant
expertise and map out a new mission to remove
defunct satellites from orbit. It’s a great example
of how the UK space sector is playing a leading role
in keeping the space environment safe and secure.” The LEOPARD study will define
concepts for de-orbiting two un-co-operative UK
space assets from low earth orbit to demonstrate ADR
techniques, and will also present options for
re-purposing the chaser spacecraft once the ADR task
is complete, including the ability to be refuelled
upon mission completion in order to allow the
satellite to capture and remove even more debris.
SSTL has a number of end-of-life satellites in orbit
that could be selected as targets for the LEOPARD
ADR mission, an advantage that provides additional
knowledge of the target spacecraft design and
operational state – crucial factors for the success
of an ADR mission. ADR missions are complex and
characterisation of the debris target is critical
before attempting a capture. It is essential to
determine the state of the spacecraft or object
including orientation, roll speed and axis of
rotation, and the physical condition of the object
(broken appendages, peeling or flaking surface
materials) to assess the lowest risk for a
successful capture and control. Some target
characterisation will be achievable from the ground,
however in-orbit characterisation and close-up
inspection will be essential. Once the target is
characterised, a close approach can be facilitated
by a sensor suite on board the chaser satellite to
keep track of the target and the relative distance
between them, and complete manoeuvres on the final
capture approach. Once the chaser
captures the target, the dynamics of the coupled
two-body object will rapidly change requiring
precise control for completion of the ADR mission. The LEOPARD study will define
several possible ADR mission concepts, using
modelling and evaluation of the key technologies. Examples of ADR capture
technologies to be considered include:
A second phase of the study
will propose different methods of refurbishing the
chaser spacecraft such as refuelling and addition of
extra modules. Consortium member roles:
The LEOPARD project, comprising
a consortium of UK space companies, is identifying
an ideal mission configuration for active debris
removal (ADR) to combat the global issue of space
debris. The mission, currently in an exploration
phase, will utilise the UK space industry for each
aspect of the build and aims to launch a
demonstration payload in 2025.
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