Speaker
Description
The TEMIS-DEBRIS (Technologies for Mitigation of Space Debris) project focuses on the development of technologies for the disposal of end-of-life satellites through uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The project’s main focus is on the development of passive and semi-passive D4D technologies. The technologies under investigation include various concepts for joints that break or separate at moderate temperatures (so-called ‘demisable joints’). Other technologies aim to increase demisability at the material level, e.g. through coatings that improve the chemical and optical surface properties and thus increase the net heat flux received. The final category of approaches under investigation addresses satellite components, e.g. through topological optimisation of the geometry to include holes and filigree structures by utilising modern additive manufacturing processes.
Entering into the atmosphere in time is a mandatory requirement for the uncontrolled re-entry and thus a central aspect of D4D. Various solutions for the efficient and cost-effective de-orbiting of satellites upon completion of their mission are thus investigated in the project. This includes, for example, combining rocket engines with drag sails to minimize the mass impact while staying the 5-year limit.
In addition to developing technologies for D4D and de-orbiting, the project also aims to deepen the understanding of the aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic processes that occur during destructive re-entry and to improve modelling capabilities. To this end, a combination of experimental and numerical simulations with low and high accuracy is carried out, and the numerical tools are further developed based on a comparison with the experimental data. This approach of combining experimental and numerical simulations is also applied to the problem of multi-body interactions between fragments and utilised for model development.
The experimental and numerical results demonstrate promising D4D concepts for future applications. Some of the solutions investigated in the project are presented in separate talks. In this presentation, we provide an overview of the investigated solutions and discuss their feasibility and assess the potential impact on a spacecrafts demisability based on DRAMA simulations. Finally, we show the place of the D4D topic at DLR in a broader scope beyond the project and we briefly show our ambitions and recent and upcoming activities regarding knowledge and technology transfer.
TEMIS-DEBRIS is a project funded and carried out by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR e. V.) [1,2]. Initial results were presented at the last IAC [3]. The project is now in its third and final year and is approaching its formal conclusion.
References:
- Thorn Schleutker et al.; Design-for-Demise Research at DLR in the Frame of the TEMIS-DEBRIS Project, Clean Space Industry Days, 8-11 October 2024, Noordwijk, Netherlands.
- Ali Gülhan et al; Objectives and Achievements of the Space Debris Mitigation Project TEMIS-DEBRIS, 9th European Conference on Space Debris, 1 - 4 April 2025, Bonn, Germany.
- Thorn Schleutker et al.; Achievements of Space Debris Mitigation Project TEMIS-DEBRIS, 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), 29 September - 3 October 2025, Sydney, Australia.