Nebula Public Library

The simulations of the long term evolution of the space debris population, under realistic assumptions, show how the driving factor in the future environment will be mostly the breakup of large spacecraft and rocket bodies in LEO.

Libration Point Orbits (LPO) and Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEO) are often selected for astrophysics and solar terrestrial missions as they offer vantage points for the observation of the Earth, the Sun and the Universe. No guidelines currently exist for LPO and HEO missions' end-of-life; however, as current and future missions are planned to be placed on these orbits, it is a critical aspect to define a sustainable strategy for their disposal, with the objective to avoid interference with protected regions.

The COBRA (COntactless deBRis Action) concept was studied under ESA contract and then internally by ESA, as part of ESA ́s SysNova technology assessment scheme which uses “technology challenges” and competitions to survey a comparatively large number of alternative solutions. The concept was originally proposed by an industrial consortium led by GMV form Spain with Politecnico di Milano and Thales Alenia Space from Italy. The concept came first in response to a challenge for mission concepts and technologies capable of providing a contactless Earth-bound object orbit modification system.