Risks of Secondary Space Debris Generation from Net Capturing in Active Space Debris Removal Missions

Mitigation strategies which eliminate existing space debris, such as with Active Space Debris Removal (ASDR) missions, are now more important than ever regarding the ever-growing space debris population problem. One of the considered ASDR approaches uses a net as a capturing strategy. The benefits of such strategy are to allow for a large...

IN-situ Debris Inventorisation near the Geostationary Orbit (INDIGO): a feasibility study

Recent launches of satellite constellations in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) region have increased the collision probability of existing debris objects with active satellites. Monitoring the trajectories of these debris objects is crucial for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) to prevent the creation of more debris due to unwanted collisions. Much...

Collision Avoidance with Collaboration between Operators

Space debris has become a rising problem in the aerospace community, leading to the need for effective spacecraft collision avoidance processes. Currently, these processes can be called unilateral as only one object in conjunction is considered maneuverable. This thesis focuses on the implementation of a combined action approach to collision...

Momentum Transfer due to Hypervelocity Impacts into Spacecraft Solar Arrays

Spacecraft are under constant threat from hypervelocity impacts by micrometeoroids and space debris. Due to their large surface area and hence increased probability of being impacted by debris, solar arrays are of particular concern. For larger, trackable debris objects, collision avoidance manoeuvres can be performed so as the minimise the...

Collision Probability through Orbital Uncertainty Propagation: The Hybrid Differential Algebra and Gaussian Mixture Model Approach

The number of space objects has largely increased in the recent years, becoming a considerable threat to the present and future of satellite operations and human spaceflight. This introduces a need to accurately compute the risk of collision between satellites and space debris. Current methodologies are limited by the type of encounter and the...

Multibody Approach to Controlled Removal of Large Space Debris with Flexible Appendages

The space environment is ever-changing with space structures getting larger and the orbits getting increasingly crowded with time. This creates a need for removal of large defunct satellites to avoid the disastrous Kessler syndrome, which poses a major threat to the future of space exploration. This research examines the dynamics and control...