Preliminary Design of Debris Removal Missions by Means of Simplified Models for Low-Thrust, Many-Revolution Transfers

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simplified, computationally efficient method for designing low-thrust, multi-revolution orbital transfers, enabling realistic debris removal mission planning with optimized propellant use and timing.

Contribution

It proposes a novel simplified control model for low-thrust transfers that reduces computational complexity while accurately estimating transfer parameters.

Findings

The method accurately estimates ΔV and transfer time for arbitrary orbits.

It successfully optimizes debris removal sequences minimizing propellant and duration.

The approach is applicable to multi-phase low-thrust mission design.

Abstract

This paper presents a novel approach for the preliminary design of Low-Thrust, many-revolution transfers. The main feature of the novel approach is a considerable reduction in the control parameters and a consequent gain in computational speed. Each spiral is built by using a predefined pattern for thrust direction and switching structure. The pattern is then optimised to minimise propellant consumption and transfer time. The variation of the orbital elements due to the thrust is computed analytically from a first-order solution of the perturbed Keplerian motion. The proposed approach allows for a realistic estimation of {\Delta}V and time of flight required to transfer a spacecraft between two arbitrary orbits. Eccentricity and plane changes are both accounted for. The novel approach is applied here to the design of missions for the removal of space debris by means of an Ion Beam Shepherd Spacecraft. In particular, two slightly different variants of the proposed low-thrust control model are used for the different phases of the mission. Thanks to their low computational cost they can be included in a multiobjective optimisation problem in which the sequence and timing of the removal of five pieces of debris are optimised to minimise propellant consumption and mission duration.