Risks of docking and nulling of the kinetic moment of an uncooperative large-sized space debris

Abstract

The paper considers the problem of capturing an uncooperative space debris object (target) such as an orbital stage for further active debris removal from orbit with a tether using a space tug. The autonomous docking module performs capture of the target by a probe-cone type device, using the nozzle of the target as a docking port. The paper analyzes the risks of two phases of space debris capture. The first phase considers the mechanical interaction of the probe with the target nozzle during the formation of the mechanical linkage. The second phase considers the stabilization of the bundle with a rotation along the tether direction to reduce the amplitude of oscillations of the bundle of the autonomous module with the target after the formation of tethered system.