RemoveDEBRIS was a satellite research project intending to demonstrate various
space debris
Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, or space garbage) are defunct human-made objects in space—principally in Earth orbit—which no longer serve a useful function. These include derelict spacecr ...
removal technologies. The mission was led by the Surrey Space Centre from the
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institut ...
with the satellite's platform manufactured by
Surrey Satellite Technology
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, or SSTL, is a company involved in the manufacture and operation of small satellites. A spin-off company of the University of Surrey, it is presently wholly owned by Airbus Defence and Space.
The company began ...
Ltd (SSTL). Partners on the project included
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...
,
ArianeGroup
ArianeGroup (formerly Airbus Safran Launchers) is an aerospace company based in France. A joint venture between Airbus and Safran, the company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux. It consists of three core arms: aeros ...
Inria
The National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology (Inria) () is a French national research institution focusing on computer science and applied mathematics.
It was created under the name ''Institut de recherche en informatiq ...
,
Innovative Solutions In Space
ISISPACE (Innovative Solutions In Space) is a Dutch NewSpace company based in Delft dedicated to the design, manufacture and operation of CubeSats.
* Vision-based navigation - The other CubeSat, called DebrisSat 2, was released and the RemoveDEBRIS satellite underwent a series of manoeuvres in order to obtain data and images using both
lidar
Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...
and
optical camera
A camera is an Optics, optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), ...
s.
* Harpoon and deployable target - A harpoon connected by a tether was fired at a plate attached to an arm extending from the RemoveDEBRIS platform itself.
* Dragsail - After the conclusion of the other experiments the satellite attempted to deploy a large sail to act in a similar fashion to an air brake. The dragsail was supposed to bring RemoveDEBRIS from the relatively low orbital altitude of the space station into the planet's atmosphere to safely disintegrate. In the end, the dragsail failed to deploy.
Design
Platform
The RemoveDEBRIS platform was based on a SSTL X50 Structure that had been customised for deployment from the International Space Station. The platform hosted all the experimental payloads as well as providing power, data and control for the mission. A high degree of autonomy was built in using time-tagged commands to allow experiments to be run out of sight of the groundstation.
CubeSats
DebrisSat 1
The DebrisSat 1 (DS-1, aka REMDEB-NET, COSPAR 1998-067PM) was built by engineers and students at the University of Surrey and was based on a 2U CubeSat measuring 100 × 100 × 227 mm. 1U of the satellite contained the power and avionics to power the payload. The payload contained an inflatable designed to provide a large target area for the next experiment. A Cold Gas Generator (CGG) was used to inflate six aluminium booms to provide a frame. Small aluminium sails attached to the end of the booms then deployed during the inflation. DebrisSat 1 decayed from orbit on 2 March 2019.
DebrisSat 2
The DebrisSat 2 (DS-2, aka REMDEB-DS2, COSPAR: 1998-067PR) was also based on a 2U CubeSat with two deployable panels solar panels and communications. The spacecraft contained a GPS receiver as well as an inter-satellite link to provide location and attitude data back to the platform to assess the VBN camera performance. The avionics were based on the QB50 avionics stack developed by the Surrey Space Centre and Electronic Systems Laboratory (ESL) at Stellenbosch University. In addition the spacecraft also tested out a low-cost UART camera which was able to beam back pictures to the platform as it separated. DebrisSat 2 deorbited 30 May 2020.
Timeline
Launch
After final system end-to-end and environmental testing, the RemoveDebris spacecraft was shipped to Nanoracks in Houston and then onto the launch site at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The spacecraft was placed in an ISS cargo transfer bag and placed in the pressurised section of the CRS-14
SpaceX Dragon
American private space transportation company SpaceX has developed and produced several spacecraft named Dragon. The first family member, now referred to as Dragon 1, flew 23 cargo missions to the ISS between 2010 and 2020 before being retired ...
Spacecraft. The Dragon resupply mission with RemoveDEBRIS onboard was launched 2 April 2018, arriving at the
ISS
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (J ...
on 4 April.
The RemoveDebris spacecraft was unloaded from the capsule. NASA Astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold removed the platform handling panels, completed final preparation and loaded the satellite into the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) airlock on 6 June 2018. An airlock cycle was performed on 19 June 2018 and RemoveDEBRIS moved outside the JEM via the airlock slide table. The spacecraft was grasped by the Kaber interface on the Mobile Servicing System Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (MSS SPDM) and placed in the deployment position.
Deployment
Deployment of the satellite from the station's
Kibo module
Kibo may refer to:
* Kibō (ISS module), Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), component of the International Space Station
* Kibo, a volcanic cone forming the main summit of Mount Kilimanjaro
* An alias of James Parry, who as "Kibo" became a cult f ...
via robotic
Canadarm-2
The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, supp ...
took place on 20 June 2018. At approximately 100 kg, RemoveDEBRIS was the largest satellite to have ever been deployed from the ISS. The platform contained two CubeSat deployers from ISISpace. The full lifespan of the mission from launch to re-entry was estimated at 1.5 years.
Net experiment
On 16 September 2018, it demonstrated its ability to use a net to capture a deployed simulated target.
VBN experiment
On 28 October 2018, DebrisSat 2 was deployed at 06:15UTC. The VBN camera on the platform took 361 images of the spacecraft crucial to determining the performance of the camera system. Position and attitude data from DebrisSat 2 was transmitted back to the platform providing ground truth for the experiment. DebrisSat 2 also forwarded low resolution photos of the deployment to the platform from its own vantage point.
Harpoon experiment
On 8 February 2019, SSTL demonstrated the RemoveDEBRIS harpoon which was fired at a speed of 20 metres per second penetrating a simulated target extended from the satellite on a boom.
Dragsail experiment
The deployment of the dragsail was targeted for 4 March 2019. After the deploy command had been sent, no expected changes in spacecraft behaviour were detected. After an investigation it was determined that the most likely result was a partial or failed deployment of the inflatable boom which prevented the sail from deploying. Lessons learnt from this attempt were put into practice for two new dragsails that were deployed on the Spaceflight SSO-A mission.
See also
*
e.Deorbit
e.Deorbit was a planned European Space Agency active space debris removal mission developed as a part of their Clean Space initiative. The launch was planned for 2025 on board a Vega launch vehicle. Funding of the mission was stopped in 2018 ...
, a similar concept that was planned to use a net. Cancelled.