Net-Based Payload on Board Avum Enhanced Platform to Efficiently Remove Large Debris from Low Earth Orbits

Space debris mitigation and remediation are urgent and growing issues to be faced for future space operations and space exploitation durability, especially in Low Earth Orbits (LEO). In past decades, several launches have placed more than 6000 satellites into orbit, of which less than a thousand are still operational today. Active Debris Removal (ADR) topic focuses on trading-off, designing and making operational mechanisms placed on board an active chaser that can rendezvous with and grapple an inert and tumbling target, to eventually change its dynamics either directly transferring it to a graveyard orbit or providing a control device to be attached to the dead element to make it controlled up to disposal. The paper presents the design of a net-based debris capturing payload, to be embarked on a enhanced AVUM based chaser, specifically adapted for large satellites removal from LEO. he study run under ESA support, in collaboration with ELV SpA and MDA Inc. In particular, the numerical simulator, developed at Politecnico di Milano to model the net dynamics from its launch to its target wrapping, useful to drive the design of the flexible components in the payload, is discussed in details: the viscoelastic behaviour of the flexible parts is modelled and a multi-body constrained dynamics has been implemented; the dynamic simulator was already validated by mean of some preliminary experimental campaign, run at Politecnico di Milano as internal research. The results obtained by exploiting the mentioned simulator to make the whole net payload matching the AVUM enhanced I/F requirements are discussed to assess limitations and advantages in exploiting such a high thrust unit for ADR missions.