An Analysis of Current and Proposed Engineering Solutions to Reduce and Eliminate Orbital Debris

Orbital debris is a pertinent issue that the space industry faces in terms of future launches as well as current mission plans. Debris travels throughout low, middle and geostationary orbit at extremely fast speeds and can pose a serious danger to active satellites. Based on various theorems and models, it has been determined that even if no future launches or mass is introduced into Earth’s orbit, the state of orbital debris will not be able to self-correct and stabilize. Due to this fact, the topic of active debris removal methods and external solutions for reducing orbital debris has been a large topic of considerations and designs in the last decade. This paper provides a background on the current state of orbital debris, concerns that the orbital environment faces in terms of future launches and the creation of satellite constellations, and political factors relating to orbital debris. Based on various factors including impact on the orbital environment, design feasibility and other factors, four proposed active debris removal designs have been reviewed and considered in this paper. They include on-orbit servicing capabilities, grapple maneuvers, aerodynamic drag, and active capture functionality. The solutions are explored both in the effect they would have on improving the orbital debris environment as well as their design capabilities and limitations.