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Nebula Public Library

The knowledge bank of ESA’s R&D programmes

Feasibility study of Active Debris Mitigation for Mega Constellations

Programme
Discovery
Programme Reference
15/099
Prime Contractor
Thales Alenia Space
Start Date
End Date
Status
Closed
Country
France
Feasibility study of Active Debris Mitigation for Mega Constellations
Description

The Thales Alenia Space study team completed a 13 month contract to study the feasibility of Active Debris Removal within mega-constellations. Within the Clean Space initiative, ESA searches for proactive answers to the environmental challenges which are faced both on Earth and in space. The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) has already highlighted the important topic of mega-constellations, which represent a step change in the future space environment due to the proliferation of small satellites. The study addresses the end-of-life disposal techniques considered for mega-constellations and the potential of Active Debris Removal solutions.

Application Domain
Generic Technologies
Technology Domain
11 - Space Debris
Competence Domain
10 - Astrodynamics / Space Debris / Space Environment
Keywords
ADR
Space debris
Megaconstellations
Initial TRL
TRL N/A
Target TRL
TRL N/A
Achieved TRL
TRL N/A
Public Document
Executive Summary