Investigation of Orbital Debris Situational Awareness with Constellation Design and Evaluation

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dc.contributor.authorOhriner, Ethan Benjamin Lewisen
dc.contributor.committeechairBlack, Jonathan T.en
dc.contributor.committeememberShinpaugh, Kevin A.en
dc.contributor.committeememberVanDyke, Matthew Clarken
dc.contributor.departmentAerospace and Ocean Engineeringen
dc.date.accessioned2021-01-27T09:00:27Zen
dc.date.available2021-01-27T09:00:27Zen
dc.date.issued2021-01-26en
dc.description.abstractOrbital debris is a current and growing threat to reliable space operations and new space vehicle traffic. As space traffic increases, so does the economic impact of orbital debris on the sustainability of systems that increasingly support national security and international commerce. Much of the debris collision risk is concentrated in specific high-density debris clusters in key regions of Low Earth Orbit (LEO). A potential long-term solution is to employ a constellation of observation satellites within these debris clusters to improve monitoring and characterization efforts, and engage in Laser Debris Removal (LDR) as means of collision mitigation. Here we adapted and improved a previous methodology for evaluating such designs. Further, we performed an analysis on the observer constellations' effectiveness over a range of circular, elliptical, and self-maneuvering designs. Our results show that increasingly complex designs result in improved performance of various criteria and that the proposed method of observation could significantly reduce the threat orbital debris poses to space operations and economic growth.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralOrbital debris is defined as all non-operational, man-made objects currently in space. US national space regulations require every new satellite to have a de-orbit plan to prevent the creation of new debris, but fails to address the thousands of derelict objects currently hindering space operations. As space traffic increases, so does the economic impact of orbital debris on the sustainability of systems that increasingly support national security and commercial growth. While orbital debris is usually assessed by looking at the full volume of space, most massive debris objects are concentrated in high-density clusters with a higher than normal probability for collision. A potential solution to the growing orbital debris problem is to place a group of observation satellites within these debris clusters to both improve monitoring capabilities and provide a means for preventing potential collisions by engaging with debris via Laser Debris Removal (LDR). This research presents a methodology for comparing and contrasting different observer satellite constellation designs. Our results show that increasingly complex orbit designs improve various performance criteria, but ultimately orbits that more closely match those of the debris objects provide the best coverage. The proposed method of observation and engagement could significantly reduce the threat orbital debris poses to space operations and economic growth.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:29025en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/102096en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectorbital debrisen
dc.subjectlaser debris removalen
dc.subjectconstellation designen
dc.subjectspace situational awarenessen
dc.titleInvestigation of Orbital Debris Situational Awareness with Constellation Design and Evaluationen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineAerospace Engineeringen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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