Nebula Public Library

The objective of the Space Weather impact on Arctic Navigation (SWAN) project has been to
develop and demonstrate new techniques, which are expected to improve on the current
state-of-the-art space weather forecasting techniques and products related to space weather
effects for Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) systems in the Arctic, with particular
attention to the Greenland area.

This work has primarily focused on establishing scenarios where inflatable devices could be the most useful. Given that these missions rely on aerodynamic drag that results in (potentially significant) heating, the authors have sought to find solutions to minimize heat fluxes acting on the device surface, and especially keeping it within the limits of flexible/foldable TPS materials for the aerocapture scenario.

The study takes place in the context of the space environment remediation. Tackling the issue of space debris is becoming more and more critical as it becomes more dangerous for existing and future space missions. Solutions must be found to ensure the security of space missions security and a clean space environment. Laser pressure solutions are considered promising as they only using momentum transfer to perform debris manoeuvres to avoid collisions. This means that no additional debris is generated using this technique.

The study demonstrates that in an emergency situation, with only a very short warning time, the launch of a fast asteroid kinetic deflection mission is feasible (targeting launch-readiness in six months!), given that certain identified pre-requisites have been prepared well in advance. The capabilities and requirements of 'hijacking' and modifying a commercial spacecraft platform in order to perform asteroid kinetic deflection in the shortest possible time were consequently assessed.