IN ORBIT TESTING OF SOLID DEBRIS DETECTOR

Abstract

The number of artificial objects in space increases due to past and present space activities. To analyse the quantity of the small (diameter > 100µm up to cm) space debris and meteoroids, an innovative in-situ impact detection method has been developed at DLR (German Aerospace Center) in Bremen, Germany. The method Solar panel-based Impact Detector “SOLID” uses solar panels for impact detection. Since solar panels provide large detection areas and exist on nearly all satellites, this method enables for the collection of large amounts of data in different orbits. An impacting object generates a permanent damage on a panel. The damage can be determined during analysis scan as well as confirmed or refuted in the frame of subsequent scans of the panels. Those properties of the sensor system can significantly improve the amount as well as the quality of measurement data to be used for environmental model validation. The SOLID method was successfully verified on ground by Hypervelocity Impact (HVI) tests at Fraunhofer EMI, Freiburg, Germany. The ability of the detection method SOLID for impact detection of space debris and meteoroids was clearly demonstrated on ground. Since July 2017, the SOLID sensor system is placed in a 600 km Sun-synchronous orbit on the microsatellite mission TechnoSat of Technische Universität Berlin (TUB). Four solar panels equipped with SOLID technology are installed on the satellite for in-orbit testing and environmental exploration. The total detection area of all panels is about 0.0755m². The system was designed to detect space debris or meteoroid objects with a diameter larger than 100 µm. In total 15,570,047 scans were performed over the four years in space. By means of measurement data changes were identified on one panel. However, so far, the telemetry data shows no clear evidence for an impact.