Determination of the attitude state of space debris objects based on Satellite Laser Ranging, using Envisat as a test case

The attitude state of the passive Envisat satellite (ESA) has been estimated before using various techniques like Satellite Laser Ranging, radar and using light-curves. This research focusses on the use of Satellite Laser Ranging. Due to the relatively large (meter scale) offset between the center-of-mass of the satellite and the reflector where...

Evolving Systems Approach to the Attitude Control of a Large-Space-Debris Removal Spacecraft

Space debris has become a major issue for the space industry over the last couple of years. The increasing number of uncontrolled objects in space increases the chance of collision with a spacecraft. The unexpected loss of contact with ENVISAT, the European Space Agency’s largest environmental spacecraft, added one more piece of debris to the...

Tether Dynamics Analysis and Guidance & Control Design for Active Space Debris Removal

Recent years have seen a steep increase in research being performed towards active space debris removal: space debris has proven to be a very real threat to operational spacecraft, and studies indicate that the frequency of collisions will only increase if nothing is done to remove large pieces of debris. In particular, ESA has done studies...