Establishment of debris index evaluation criteria and comparison of index effects

This paper discusses the processes which should be taken to establish debris indices that assess the orbital environmental impact of spacecraft or missions in orbit. The first process is establishing a methodology and criteria for evaluating an impact on the orbital environment. This study proposed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta astronautica 2024-09, Vol.222, p.586-595
Main Authors: Harada, Ryusuke, Kawamoto, Satomi, Hanada, Toshiya
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Debris index
Environmental impacts assessment
Space debris
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Summary:This paper discusses the processes which should be taken to establish debris indices that assess the orbital environmental impact of spacecraft or missions in orbit. The first process is establishing a methodology and criteria for evaluating an impact on the orbital environment. This study proposed an assessment method to evaluate the cumulative environmental changes during an evaluation period. It evaluated the impact of an uncontrolled LC mission abandoned in orbit. This study used Near-Earth Orbital Debris Environment Evolutionary Model (NEODEEM), an orbital environmental evolutionary model that Kyushu University and JAXA developed. The second process is the debris index formulation. This study considered four steps to establish the debris index. To reveal the establishing process of a debris index, this study used debris indexes as candidates which consider expected number of fragments generated from an object. The calculated debris index values were compared to the impact on the environment assessed by the evolutionary model to see if there was any correlation. Further, this study conducted numerical simulations of un-controlled large-constellation satellites abandoned in low earth orbit in different scenarios, and of active debris removals of large intact objects by NEODEEM. This paper discusses the applicability of proposed environmental assessment methods and the debris index. •Two processes to establish a debris index are proposed.•A methodology and criteria for evaluating environmental impacts is discussed.•Four steps to formulate a debris index is discussed.•Correlations between debris indexes and environmental impacts are compared.
ISSN:0094-5765
1879-2030
DOI:10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.06.047