SPACE DEBRIS REMOVAL SYSTEM USING A SMALL SATELLITE

Shin-ichiro Nishida
Institute of Aerospace Technology
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
E-mail: nishida.shinichiro@jaxa.jp

Satomi Kawamoto, Yasushi Okawa, Fuyuto Terui and Shoji Kitamura

Institute of Aerospace Technology
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Abstract
Since the number of satellites in Earth orbit is steadily increasing, space debris will
eventually pose a serious problem to near-Earth space activities if left unchecked, and so
effective measures to mitigate it are becoming urgent. Equipping new satellites with an
end-of-life de-orbit or orbital lifetime reduction capability could be an effective means of
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reducing the amount of debris by reducing the probability of the collisions between objects.
On the other hand, the active removal of space debris and the retrieval of failed satellites by
spacecraft are other possible measures.
The Institute of Aerospace Technology, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is
studying a micro-satellite system for active space debris removal, and is examining the
applicability of electro-dynamic tether (EDT) technology as its high efficiency orbital
transfer system. A small EDT package provides a possible means for lowering the orbits of
objects without the need for propellant.
Capture is indispensable for the retrieval of large space debris objects, and we propose a
flexible robot arm for this purpose.
This paper discusses a space debris removal satellite system, and describes the development
status of prototypes of the EDT package and a new robot arm for capturing non-cooperative
targets.

which collects electrons from the ambient plasma, and

1. Introduction
Since the number of satellites in Earth orbit is
steadily increasing, space debris, if left unchecked, will
eventually pose a serious hazard to near-Earth space
activities, and so effective measures to mitigate it are
becoming urgent. Equipping new satellites with an
end-of-life de-orbit and orbital lifetime reduction
capability could be an effective future means of
reducing the amount of debris by reducing the
probability of collisions between objects, while using
spacecraft to actively remove debris objects and to
retrieve failed satellites are possible measures to
address existing space debris.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s
(JAXA) Institute of Aerospace Technology is studying
an active space debris removal system. Conceptually,
this consists of a small spacecraft (a micro-satellite
capable of piggyback launch) that transfers large debris
objects that occupy useful orbits to a disposal orbit.
EDT (Electro-Dynamic Tether) technology is being
investigated as a high efficiency orbital transfer system
for this application. A small EDT package is being
developed that consists of a bare conductive tether,
FEAC (field emitter array cathodes) utilizing carbon
nanotubes, which emit electrons. This package could
be used to lower the orbit of the debris removal system
without the need for propellant.
Capture is an indispensable task for the retrieval of
large space debris. It is common for large debris
objects to tumble, since angular momentum may have
remained in their attitude control systems when failure
occurred. On-orbit satellite capture experiments have
been carried out successfully by the ETS-VII satellite
in 1999(2)-(3). In these experiments, the target was
equipped with visual markers and handles to facilitate
grasping by a robot arm. While future satellites could
be equipped with such features to assist active removal,
in general space debris objects do not possess such
convenient features — they are non-cooperative targets.
In this case, since the conditions are not favorable,
tracking errors will lead to loading of the robot arm
when the object is captured. Active compliance of each
joint and a flexible boom are therefore proposed to
relieve load at the time of capture. This paper first
describes the details of a proposed active space debris
capture/removal micro satellite system, and presents
 large-sized satellite remnants from useful orbits is also
D eb ris
in progress.
P se u d o circu it

ｅ Table1 Measures for space debris mitigation

C o llecto r Objects Issues Measures
ｅ
Medium / large which altitude is -Into low orbit as
Satellite 650km or more, will much as possible
F lig h t d ire ction D ra g force not re-enter within -Preparing fuel for
O rb it 25 years. braking
Micro / small Most of small Carrying an EDT
G e om a g n e tic fie ld Satellite satellites are without unit
RCS
C u rre n t Upper stage which altitude is -Preparing fuel for
Teth er of launch 650km or higher, braking
ｅ
vehicle will not re-enter -Re-starting after
E m itte r within 25 years. payload
ｅ separation
E a rth Space debris Debris increase De-orbiting by
Fig.1 Principle of electro-dynamic tether by collision with debris remover
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small debris vehicle

the results of feasibility studies. Then, the development

status of prototypes of the bare tether, reel mechanism,
2.1 Method for Removal of Satellite Remnants
deployment mechanism and FEAC are described.
Earth-orbiting satellites typically occupy either low
Finally, we introduce a prototype folder arm for
earth orbits (LEO) or geostationary orbits. Satellite
capturing a tumbling non-cooperative target.
remnants and rocket upper stages in LEO may be
removed by lowering their altitude to 650km or less,
2. Active Removal System
The removal from orbit of rocket upper stages and
satellites that have reached the end of their lives has
been carried out only in a very small number of cases,
and most remain on-orbit. Explosions of residual
propellants and collisions between satellite remnants or
rocket upper stages can generate large quantities of
smaller debris, which greatly increases the probability
of collisions by a cascade effect. Due to such cascade
collisions, it is estimated that the amount of space
debris will increase an ever-greater rate from now on,
and will eventually jeopardize near-Earth space
activities. The following countermeasures are therefore
Fig.2 Space debris micro remover satellite
being considered as for reducing the amount of space
debris.
a. Designing space systems so that they do not
become space debris; that is, positive
end-of-life processing of satellites and the
establishment of proper disposal procedures for
rocket upper stages
b. Processing existing debris that has no
self-removal capability; that is, the removal of
large-size satellite remnants from economically
and scientifically useful orbits to disposal
orbits.
Consideration results of countermeasures for various
space debris sources are listed in Table 1. For the
disposal of rocket upper stages, a promising approach
is for the stage to decelerate by re-starting its engine
using fuel remaining after the payload has separated.
Research and development of systems to remove Fig.3 Concept of debris removal
 Table 2 Trade-off study of actuator for debris removal
Methods Merits Demerits Candi-
date
Chemical Utilization of Low ISP
Thruster BUS Attitude
component control is
needed
Ion thruster High ISP *Power
consumption
is high
*Attitude
Fig.4 Rendezvous sequence with a space debris object
control is
needed
from where they will eventually re-enter the
Solid Compactness *Low
atmosphere and burn up. Geostationary orbit altitude is
motor durability
too great to allow this, so in this case, the effective
under aging
disposal method is further to raise the orbital altitude
*Spin-up is
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of satellite remnants by 300km or more, to disposal

needed
orbits that are of no practical use.
Electro It works in Possibility
dynamic spite of S/C of cut-off by X
2.2 Target for Retrieval / Removal
tether function collision
In LEO, the influence of the earth’s geomagnetic loss with small
field is strong, and so use of an electro-dynamic tether
debris
is practical. Considering the probability of debris Simple
Air bag Huge size
collision probability, low earth orbits effective for constitution and low
earth observation (especially sun-synchronous orbits)
durability
have the greatest risk, and so measures to reduce the
number satellite remnants or rocket upper stages in
such orbits are a priority. In consideration of this, 2.4 Debris Removal System Concept and
JAXA is studying a system with the emphasis on the Missions Scenario
retrieval and removal of satellite remnants from The mission profile of the low-earth-orbit debris
sun-synchronous low earth orbits. removal system named SDMR ( Space Debris Micro
Remover ) is described below (see Fig. 2 ).
2.3 Strategy a. Rendezvous with the debris object (target) and
The following concepts for a retrieval / removal measure its motion.
system were studied, concentrating on methods that b. Fly around the target, and make a final approach
can be realized in the near term. to capture it.
a. Use of a conductive disposable type tether. c. Capture the target using an extensible folder arm.
(Principle: Fig. 1.) d. Extend an electro-dynamic tether fixed at the root
b. The satellite itself as the tip mass of the tether of the folder arm.
c. A capture mechanism as the other side of the e. Autonomous control of tether inclination.
tether.
d. Piggyback launch of debris removal 2.5 Composition of Removal Servicing Vehicle
micro-vehicles with new earth observation The features of the conceptual vehicle for the
satellites into sun-synchronous orbits useful for removal of low-altitude earth-orbit satellite remnants
earth observation. are shown in Fig.3. As shown in the figure, tether
A large number of satellite remnants remain near such attachment is accomplished simultaneously with target
orbits from past launches, and it is considered possible capture by unification of the capture mechanism and
for a debris removal satellite to be able to retrieve and EDT package. Once an EDT package is attached, the
remove debris objects by transferring them to lower tether is extended and the target is then released. Each
orbits. The removal micro-vehicle will remove an vehicle carries two or more EDT packages, allowing it
object by capturing it using a robot arm then to remove several pieces of debris.
de-orbiting, taking the debris with it. Trade-off study The removal micro-satellite has the following
result of actuator for debris removal from low earth characteristics:
orbit is shown in Table 2.
 a. Compact shape and low mass to allow a
piggyback launch with an earth observation
satellite using the surplus payload capability of the Earth Micro remover satellite body Extensible light arm
launch vehicle. Electron emitter
b. Simple rendezvous system consists of a GPS
Covered wire Bear tether wire Space debris
receiver, a star tracker and vision sensors.
c. Small thrusters for maneuvering between orbits.
d. Extensible light robot arm for debris capture.
e. Debris removal by electro-dynamic tether package
Ejection mechanism
incorporated into the root of the robot arm. Reel mechanism
Its rendezvous sequence with a space debris object
on a sun-synchronous low earth orbit is shown in Fig.5 Composition of an EDT package for debris removal
Fig. 4. The satellite is small enough to be launched in
cylindrical adapter for an earth observation satellite on
an H-IIA rocket. Characteristics of the satellite are
shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Characteristics of the SDMR

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Items Characteristics Remarks

Size 700×700×600mm
Weight 140kg Fuel: 25kg
Power 100W Average
Attitude 3 axes control 3 wheels
control Fig.6 Prototype of mesh type tether
Thrusters 1N×8
Rendezvous GPS receiver
Sensors Star tracker 3.1.1 Conductive Tether Wire
Stereo vision For the composition of the conductive bare tether
which performs electron collection from the ambient
space plasma, it is necessary to consider a range of
3. Key Component Engineering
factors including weight, strength, electrical resistance,
The conceptual debris removal system requires the
thermo-optical surface characteristics, electron
following key technologies.
collection properties, flexibility, and friction during
a. An efficient orbital transfer technology:
extension.
Electro-dynamic Tether
Aluminum was adopted for the electrical conductor
b. Navigation to and around the debris object:
to reduce weight, and its strength and stiffness were
Machine vision/image processing
increased by braiding with high-strength fibers.
c. Robotic capture:
Moreover, measures to increase the tether’s robustness,
Extensible light arm to capture the debris object
such as braiding or constructing the tether as a mesh,
The development status of these technologies is
are being considered so that the tether will not be
described in the following sections.
severed by collisions with debris of micron to
millimeter size.
3.1 EDT Prototyping and Test Several test tethers have been manufactured
The composition of the electro-dynamic tether varying the type of aluminum alloy, thickness, and
package is shown in Fig. 5. Prototyping and testing of reinforcing fibers, and the tensile strength and other
each hardware element of the EDT is progressing, properties of each test specimen have been measured.
aiming at an on-orbit demonstration in a few years. An example of a trial net type tether is shown in Fig. 6.
The performance goals of the EDT are shown in Table
4. 3.1.2 Release Mechanism
To improve the stability of the tether during
Table 4 Performance goals of the EDT extension using the gravitational gradient, it is
Items Performance Remarks necessary to locate a large mass on the tether as close
Length 2km to the tip as possible. Therefore, to extend the tether,
Max. current 1A the reel mechanism itself is ejected and the tether wire
Life 1 year Residual is extended passively by the tension due to the inertia
probability>0.95 of the ejected part.
 A proof-of-concept release mechanism was
fabricated using a double helical spring (Fig. 7), and
release testing with a reel mechanism supported by an
air pad confirmed that the initial velocity design target
or greater was achieved. Lightweight release
mechanism flight hardware based on a double helical
spring will therefore be developed.
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Fig.7 Testing configuration of release mechanism
3.1.3 Reel Mechanism
Although the fixed-reel type extension mechanism,
which extends the tether using the inertia of the initial
velocity given to the tip mass, has a simple
composition, residual inertia will impart a sudden force
when the tether reaches the end of its extension.
Traditional tether equipment often actively controls
tension by friction control methods based on wire
tension sensor information, but this increases
complexity and tension sensors and friction control
mechanisms need a large release rate to constantly
maintain the friction of extension below a certain level.
Furthermore, these mechanisms impart a stress on the
tether wire.
A system for applying a constant braking force was
investigated. The required level of braking force is
small and control of extension rate by changing the
friction of the tether wire is very difficult, with the
result that a shock force may still occur at the end of
extension. An experimental system using passive
rotation braking equipment in a two-part reel was
therefore developed which applies a braking force only
at the end phase of wire extension. By using a passive
non-contact braking element, stable braking
performance was achieved. The non-contact braking
reel is realized by using an eddy current brake wheel.
With this mechanism, the braking torque is
proportional to the rotation rate. Since the tether is
slowed down sufficiently when it reaches the end of its
extension, hardly any jerking force is produced.
3.1.4 EDT Plasma Contactor
In order to pass current through a conductive tether
to obtain thrust, a current loop must be formed
between the tether and the surrounding plasma. For
this reason, a plasma contactor which exchanges
electrons with the surrounding plasma is needed at
both ends of a tether; one that emits electrons and
another which collects them. Since the electron
emission / collection characteristics at the ends of the
tether govern the current on which EDT operation is
based, the development of efficient plasma contactors
is indispensable for an EDT system. The leading
candidate technologies for the electron emitter and
electron collector are listed below.
- Electron emitter:
hollow cathode, electric field release type cathode
- Electron collector:
hollow cathode, bare wire
It is thought that a combination of a bare wire as
the electron collector and an electric field release type
cathode as the electronic emitter is the most suitable
for a disposable EDT system. These do not require an
operating gas, and since a tank, valves etc. can
therefore be dispensed with, a simple and a reliable
system can be built. Research into electric field release
type cathodes for use in a disposable EDT system is
being carried out. Although there are several types of
electric field release type cathode, such as the Spindt
type and the triple junction type, a cathode using
carbon nanotubes (CNT) is adopted in this research.
Compared with other types, the CNT is durable in high
vacuum environments. So it is suitable for operation in
LEO.
3.2 Motion measurement and optical
navigation
An algorithm has been developed for estimating
the motion (relative attitude and relative position) of
large pieces of space debris, such as failed satellites.
This algorithm is designed to be used by a debris
removal system which would perform various
operations such as observation, investigation, capture,
repair, refuel and de-orbit. The algorithm uses a
combination of stereo vision and 3D model matching,
applying the Iterative Closed Point (ICP) algorithm,
and uses time series of images to increase the
reliability of the relative attitude and position estimates.
The motions of a miniature satellite model have been
estimated using images obtained from an optical
environment simulator (see Fig. 9, Fig.10). After the
estimation of a target debris object, the satellite will
maneuver to match the target’s rotational motion and
will capture it.
 Fig.9 Model matching of stereo images of rotating
miniature satellite model
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Fig.10 Optical environment simulator in JAXA
4. Space Debris Capture by Robot Arm
We now describe the development of a robot arm
to capture space debris that uses a new force/torque
control method for capturing tumbling non-cooperative
targets.
Since failed satellites do not have functioning
attitude control, in many cases they will be rotating
due to the transfer of residual angular momentum from
their control systems. Since fly-around by a debris
removal vehicle or grappling the object by a robot arm
are difficult or impossible when the target debris object
is rotating at high speed, it is necessary to slow its
rotation to a rate at which capture can be accomplished
by a robot arm using visual feedback control.
Complicating the capture problem, most space
debris objects will be non-cooperative targets without
handles and visual markers to assist capture, and the
mass characteristics might not be known correctly
beforehand. Moreover, there will be error in the
measurement of relative movement and in the
rendezvous control.
To achieve successful capture using a robot arm in
such situations, the robot arm must be designed to
buffer and brake residual motions which cannot be
anticipated beforehand. The SDMR is equipped with
an extensible flexible robot arm. Its structural
flexibility and joint compliance control buffer the
residual motion. Prototype of an extensible flexible
boom is shown in Fig.11.
Fig.11 Prototype of an extensible robot arm boom
5. Conclusion
The Institute of Aerospace Technology, Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency, is studying an active
space debris removal system using micro-satellites,
and is investigating the applicability of
electro-dynamic tether technology as its high efficient
orbital transfer system. A small EDT package is under
development that consists of a bare conductive tether,
field emitter array cathodes, a lightweight ejecting
mechanism and a reel mechanism with a braking
function. An optical motion measurement system,
extensible folder arm and control system for robotic
debris capture are also under development.
As the result of these activities, the realization of a
new active space debris removal system is becoming
more feasible. Hereafter, technical development will
be furthered by on-orbit demonstration using small
satellites or a rocket upper stage.
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