Simulation Of Passively Safe Inspection Trajectories For Non-Cooperative Space Rendezvous

Abstract

The escalating accumulation of space debris in Earth orbit presents a significant challenge for space operations, threatening both current satellites and future missions. This issue motivated different international scientific communities and industrial sectors to create efficient strategies for its mitigation. This work explores the design of passively safe inspection trajectories for On-orbit Servicing and Active Debris Removal missions. Optimizing the inspection process requires balancing several factors, including target visibility, fuel consumption (delta V budget), and other mission constraints. The presented inspection trajectories are validated via a high-fidelity software in the loop rendezvous simulator.