AbstractThis study investigates the feasibility of using space debris as a supplemental resource for Lunar infrastructure, with a particular focus on the mission design and energy requirements of debris transfer operations. While recycling methods themselves remain at a conceptual stage, this work establishes a technical baseline for how orbital debris—specifically upper stages in GTO could be captured and transported for Lunar processing. The analysis highlights the central challenge of orbital transfer alignment under long-term perturbations and evaluates multiple capture and transfer scenarios, comparing them against direct material delivery missions. Both chemical and electric propulsion architectures are assessed, demonstrating potential energy savings of up to 30 % per kilogram of material, with further reductions when rideshare configurations are employed. By quantifying the mission energy expenditure, this study clarifies the role that efficient transfer design can play in making debris recycling a viable supplement to In-Situ Resource Utilization and reducing reliance on costly terrestrial launch. The results are intended to inform future research on processing methods by first establishing the transfer architectures under which recycling missions could realistically operate.

This study proposes the concept of recycling space debris as a novel means of supplying material resources for the establishment of a permanent Lunar presence while simultaneously cleaning up Earth's orbital environment. Upon the creation of a space debris dataset and characterizing debris objects as resources and reserves, spent Ariane 5 upper stages in GTO are identified as prime candidates for recycling. However, orbital transfer alignment poses a critical challenge due to orbit perturbations over time. Mission scenarios, including debris capture, transfer and Lunar processing, are analyzed, with global mission energy expenditure used to compare them to direct material delivery missions. Both chemical and electric propulsion transfer architectures are highlighted as enabling feasible and efficient recycling mission scenarios, with potential energy savings of up to 30% per kg of material. The significant reduction in launch mass as a direct consequence of capturing the mission payload in orbit allows for the inclusion of rideshare configurations, increasing efficiency to over 60% less energy investment per kg.