Speaker
Description
The rapid increase in satellite numbers has heightened the risk of direct collisions and led to the accumulation of dust-sized debris in orbit due to fragmentation events and the gradual degradation of spacecraft surfaces. Accurately characterizing these particles is essential for validating space debris models like ESA’s MASTER and NASA’s ORDEM, which provide reliable predictions for Life Cycle Assessments and collision risk analyses in compliance with the new ESA Space Debris Mitigation Requirements. While larger objects (>10 cm) can be detected using ground-based observations, detecting smaller particles is more challenging. These particles must be detected either in situ or by examining space-exposed surfaces returned from orbit. Although past validation of debris models relied on such surfaces, they only recorded impacts from 1984 to 2002 and covered a limited range of altitudes and inclinations. In-situ detection methods have not been widely implemented yet, but missions like DEBIE and APID/ADLER have demonstrated the feasibility of such sensors.
This study presents the discrepancies within different models in the submillimetric realm and the anticipated detection rate of a 1U demonstrator for the DEbris Density and Retrieval Analysis (DEDRA) sub-millimetric space debris and micrometeoroid sensor. New simulations account for the sensor's performance and the latest debris models. DEDRA builds on the success of impact-ionization detectors like the Munich Dust Counter and Mars Dust Counter. The mission aims to demonstrate the detection and characterization of particle speed and mass in low Earth orbit (LEO), with enhanced consideration of critical noise phenomena observed in earlier sensors. The 1U technology demonstrator will serve as a foundational step for future missions, potentially incorporating multiple units to increase detection rates or deploying detectors across multiple missions for broader temporal and spatial coverage, enabling continuous monitoring of the effects of sustainability measures on the debris environment.
