Debris Collision Avoidance Manoeuvres – Autonomous Guidance and Control System to Safeguard Satellites from Space Debris

Abstract

Ensuring the sustainability of future space missions and maintaining continuous access to space necessitates a serious and proactive approach to addressing the space debris dilemma. One crucial measure that can be undertaken is actively protecting against space debris by implementing satellite collision avoidance manoeuvres. This thesis focuses on researching robust methods to perform such manoeuvres, with a particular emphasis on the guidance and control systems of manoeuvrable vehicles. The Starlink constellation is used in this research as a reference scenario, considering its popularity and extensive development, although the developed system is applicable to any satellite. The core of achieving successful manoeuvres lies in the creation of a robust guidance system. This system integrates convex optimisation algorithms with reference tracking mechanisms, enabling the autonomous execution of collision avoidance manoeuvres to be both robust and fuel-efficient. The outcomes of this research represent a significant advancement in space debris mitigation, enhancing space sustainability.