Review of contact and contactless active space debris removal approaches

Abstract

Space debris is one of the most urgent issues of modern astronautics, which solution requires a systematic and coordinated efforts of international community. Several lines of action can be identified to combat the space debris threat including improvement of spacecraft and rocket designs, revision of mission programs, space traffic management, active space debris removal, and collision avoidance measures. This paper introduces the reader to the main aspects of the problem of space debris. The main attention is paid to collision avoidance and active space debris removal measures. The article contains a detailed review and comparation of existing technical solutions and approaches, as well as the most important scientific research on the dynamics and control of various active space debris removal systems. Contactless transportation systems are considered in detail as a promising direction for creating safe and reliable space debris removal systems.