Speaker
Description
To comply with recent space debris mitigation requirements, the post-mission orbital lifetime of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) must not exceed five years. This study evaluates propulsion technologies as end-of-life disposal options for four representative microsatellites, ranging from 6U to 24U CubeSats and a PROBA-1 class platform, operating across different altitudes.
A framework is developed to incorporate an active de-orbit system into the spacecraft design, in which performance is assessed against key operational constraints, such as strict mass and power budgets. For chemical propulsion, the analysis focuses on prescribed $\Delta v$ and corresponding propellant mass fraction. For electric propulsion, performance is evaluated through the relationship between thrust, burn time, and available power, allowing for thruster operating regimes that meet mission requirements.
The feasibility of propulsion system integration is evaluated by mapping performance to operational limits, including required $\Delta v$, minimum thrust, and mass–power trade-offs under different de-orbit scenarios. In addition, for electric propulsion, a modular architecture based on multiple thruster units is explored to scale total thrust and reduce burn duration while satisfying mission design constraints.
Orbital propagation simulations were performed using the OSCAR (Orbital Spacecraft Active Removal) tool within ESA’s DRAMA (Debris Risk Assessment and Mitigation Analysis) software suite.