Debris removal satellite, debris removal method, debris removal control apparatus, debris removal control method, and ground facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022242597-A1
Application number	US-202017622875-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 21, 2020
Priority date	Aug 23, 2019
Publication date	Aug 4, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A debris removal satellite includes a capture device, a thruster of a chemical propulsion method, and a propellant tank to store chemical fuel. A solar array wing is operable in an orbit at an orbital altitude higher than a congested orbit region congested with satellites forming a satellite constellation. The debris removal satellite is built in advance for future use as a satellite to be launched, and when a debris intrusion alarm to give a warning about intrusion of debris into the congested orbit region is issued, propellant is loaded into the propellant tank and the debris removal satellite is launched by a rocket built in advance for future use as a launch rocket. The debris removal satellite captures capture-target debris at an orbital altitude higher than the congested orbit region, and operates a propulsion device with the capture-target debris being captured.

First claim

1 .- 18 . (canceled)

19 . A debris removal method of removing debris in outer space, the debris removal method comprising:
building a debris removal satellite in advance for future use as a satellite to be launched, the debris removal satellite including a capture device to capture debris; a propulsion device including a thruster of a chemical propulsion method and a propellant tank to store chemical fuel; and a solar array wing that is operable in an orbit at an orbital altitude higher than a congested orbit region, which is an orbit or a region congested with satellites forming a satellite constellation; loading propellant into the propellant tank when a debris intrusion alarm to give a warning about intrusion of debris into the congested orbit region is issued; launching the debris removal satellite by a rocket built in advance for future use as a launch rocket; and capturing capture-target debris, which is target debris of the debris intrusion alarm, at an orbital altitude higher than the congested orbit region, and causing the propulsion device to operate with the capture-target debris being captured, so as to prevent the capture-target debris from intruding into the congested orbit region, by the debris removal satellite.

20 . The debris removal method according to claim 19 ,
wherein the congested orbit region includes an orbit of LST 11:00 of sun-synchronous orbit and at an altitude of 1000 km, or includes a polar region.

21 . The debris removal method according to claim 19 ,
wherein the capture device restrains six degrees of freedom of the debris, and wherein the propellant tank has a tank capacity to store an amount of propellant for making the capture-target debris descend to the atmosphere in addition to propellant necessary for operation of the debris removal satellite.

22 . The debris removal method according to claim 19 ,
wherein the debris removal satellite includes a star sensor that is used for attitude control.

23 . A debris removal satellite to remove debris in outer space, the debris removal satellite being used to prevent capture-target debris from intruding into a congested orbit region by the debris removal method according to claim 19 .

24 . A debris removal satellite to remove debris in outer space, the debris removal satellite comprising:
a capture device to capture debris by restraining six degrees of freedom; and a propulsion device including a plurality of thrusters, wherein the capture device is placed in a direction opposite to a jet port of a thruster with a maximum jet capacity among the plurality of thrusters, and wherein the propulsion device includes thrusters having jet ports in a positive direction and a negative direction of an axis orthogonal to a jet direction of the thruster with the maximum jet capacity, torque is given around a center of gravity of the debris removal satellite in a debris-captured state by jets of the thrusters placed in an orthogonal direction, and a jet vector of the thruster with the maximum jet capacity passes through the center of gravity and is in a direction opposite to a flying direction.

25 . A debris removal satellite to remove debris in outer space, the debris removal satellite comprising:
a capture device to capture debris by restraining six degrees of freedom; and a propulsion device including a plurality of thrusters, wherein the plurality of thrusters are placed at a plurality of positions at respectively different distances from a center of gravity of the debris removal satellite in a debris-captured state, and wherein when torque is generated around a jet vector of a thruster with a maximum jet capacity among the plurality of thrusters, the debris removal satellite operates the other thrusters with a thrust balance that is inversely proportional to the distances, so as to prevent torque from being generated around an axis that is orthogonal to the jet vector.

26 . The debris removal satellite according to claim 24 ,
wherein the jet vector of the thruster with the maximum jet capacity can be changed.

27 . The debris removal satellite according to claim 24 ,
wherein a center-of-gravity position of the debris removal satellite coupled with the captured debris is located at a position away from the debris removal satellite.

28 . A ground facility to control operation of the debris removal satellite according to claim 23 .

29 . The debris removal satellite according to claim 24 ,
wherein a center-of-gravity position of a flying object, which is the debris removal satellite coupled with the debris after the debris has been captured, is on a straight line of a traveling direction vector of the propulsion device.

30 . A debris removal control apparatus to be provided in the debris removal satellite according to claim 24 , the debris removal control apparatus comprising:
a communication device to communicate with the debris removal satellite; and processing circuitry to generate a control command to control the propulsion device included in the debris removal satellite, wherein the processing circuitry transmits the control command to control the propulsion device so that a center-of-gravity position of a flying object, which is the debris removal satellite coupled with debris after the debris has been captured, is on a straight line of a traveling direction vector of the propulsion device.

31 . A debris removal control apparatus comprising:
a communication device to communicate with the debris removal satellite according to claim 24 ; and processing circuitry to generate a control command to control the plurality of thrusters included in the debris removal satellite, wherein the processing circuitry transmits the control command to control the plurality of thrusters so that a center-of-gravity position of a flying object, which is the debris removal satellite coupled with debris after the debris has been captured, is on a straight line of a traveling direction vector of the propulsion device.

32 . A debris removal control method that is performed by a debris removal control apparatus including a communication device to communicate with the debris removal satellite according to claim 24 ; and
processing circuitry to generate a control command to control the propulsion device included in the debris removal satellite, the debris removal control method comprising transmitting the control command to control the propulsion device so that a center-of-gravity position of a flying object, which is the debris removal satellite coupled with debris after the debris has been captured, is on a straight line of a traveling direction vector of the propulsion device.

33 . A debris removal control method that is performed by a debris removal control apparatus including
a communication device to communicate with the debris removal satellite according to claim 24 ; and processing circuitry to generate a control command to control the plurality of thrusters provided in the debris removal satellite, the debris removal control method comprising transmitting the control command to control the plurality of thrusters so that a center-of-gravity position of a flying object, which is the debris removal satellite coupled with debris after the debris has been captured, is on a straight line of a traveling direction vector of the propulsion device.

34 . A ground facility to control operation of the debris removal satellite according to claim 29 .

35 . The debris removal method according to claim 19 ,
wherein the debris removal satellite with the captur

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Mukae Hisayuki

Classifications

• B64G1/402

  Propellant tanks; Feeding propellants · CPC title

• B64G1/002

  Launch systems · CPC title

• B64G1/1081

  for debris removal · CPC title

• B64G1/6462

  characterised by the means for engaging other vehicles · CPC title

• B64G1/40

  Arrangements or adaptations of propulsion systems · CPC title