Abstract
The wide application of satellite constellations in the field of space-based global communications and remote sensing has led to a substantial increase in small-satellite launch plans, a sharp increase in the density of space objects in low-Earth orbit (LEO), and a reduction in available orbit and frequency resources. This will further aggravate the trend of deterioration of the space debris environment. Taking the Starlink constellation as an example, this paper describes the influence of the constellation from the environmental debris flux of the satellite, the evaluation of the number of evasion maneuvers, the change of risk level, the success rate of post mission disposal (PMD) and the growth rate of space objects. The simulation results show that the collision risk of the Starlink constellation is related to the orbital parameters, and the higher success rate of post-mission disposal (PMD) can reduce the collision risk of the constellation. The large constellations increases the growth rate of space objects, and even if all the satellites are disposed of after the mission, the impact of constellations on the space environment can not be offset.
Highlights
The low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation is widely used in space-based global communications and remote sensing
When the accepted collision probability level (ACPL) value is 10−4, the total number of avoidance of all satellites is about 1300, with an average annual avoidance of 260, as can be seen from Figure 9, if the corresponding full maneuver avoidance is carried out, the collision risk can be reduced by 60%, and the remaining collision risk for all space objects is 20%
According to the Delta model [19] developed by the ESA to simulate the evolution of future space objects, considering the effects of the explosion, collision, disintegration and other events as the main sources of debris, it is calculated that the introduced constellation consists of 4452 satellites deployed in phase i and ii of the Starlink constellation
Summary
The low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation is widely used in space-based global communications and remote sensing. References [7,8,9] have studied the effects of changing the success rate of constellation post-mission disposal (PMD), in-orbit life after mission and the number of satellites in the constellation on the number of space debris in the future. [10] analyzes the main factors affecting the space debris environment by changing the mass, number, area and PMD orbital height of the launched satellite. In this paper, taking the Starlink constellation as an example, the interaction between the constellation and the space debris environment is discussed, and the orbital evolution of the constellation during the mission cycle is analyzed. According to the different operating heights and inclination of the constellation, the number of avoidance maneuvers and risk levels are evaluated, and the impact of the success rate of post mission disposal (PMD) on the space environment is analyzed.
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