Perspective of non-catalogued space debris removal and monitoring

Abstract

Space debris poses an increasing threat to functioning spacecraft every year, while greatest risks relate to non-catalogued space debris. Existing monitoring tools are not enough to understand situation and verify space debris models.A review of literature has shown that to date, separate monitoring tools for non-catalogued space debris are being developed, while the task of develop system is not being solved.The article presents results of forecasting small-sized space debris, which show that increase in number of non-catalogued SD exceeds growth of catalogued SD, while change in local distribution in space is less susceptible to change, due to inertia of processes.The model example shows that the solution of non-catalogued space debris active removal problem is not feasible in near future.Proposals are presented develop comprehensive monitoring system for non-catalogued space debris, consisting of ground-based monitoring facilities, remote and contact monitoring spacecraft, which together provide the maximum amount of information possible today.