Guidelines for active removal of non-functional targets designed to assist rendezvous and capture

Abstract

With the increasing awareness of the space debris issues, the option to remove the satellites from their orbits in case of failure or at the end of the operational life is being considered since the design phase. The removal will be likely exploited in autonomous way by means of space-robots, and to include specific devices onboard spacecraft could greatly ease these complex robotic operations. The selection of suitable devices is obviously related to the proposed servicing techniques. The paper discusses the pros and cons of different possible solutions, offering a view of the so-called SDRS (Situational Awareness, Active Debris Removal and On-Orbit Servicing) technologies.