Application of asteroid redirection methods to orbital debris removal

Abstract

This paper discusses the applicability of some of the asteroid redirection methods, prominently studied in the literature, to orbital debris removal. The tasks of asteroid redirection and orbital debris removal share the common goal of controlled redirection of an uncooperative target. Three asteroid redirection methods are systematically compared and analyzed to assess their viability for an orbital debris reentry mission, i.e., ion beam shepherd, laser sublimation, and tugboat. These methods are investigated in terms of the characteristics of the orbital debris population and based on the major criteria for mission design of controlled reentry of uncooperative objects. In addition, the uncertainty intrinsic to the orbital debris population is quantified through the use of a Monte Carlo simulation, which provides insight into the robustness of the methods for various ranges of orbital debris. The Analytical Hierarchy Process will be employed to assess the viability of each method in a logically consistent fashion, namely, through aggregation of the relative preference (of each method) and relative importance (of each criterion). The advantages and drawbacks of each redirection method are discussed in light of the assessment results for orbital debris reentry.