There is urgent interest in seeking to remove the largest defunct satellites in low Earth orbit such as Envirsat which is over 10,000 kg in size.

In addition, the U.S. has just issued a new Space Directive-3 that is aimed at the U.S. providing for improved space situational awareness and improved procedures for space traffic management. Scott Pace, Executive Secretary of the National Space Council, has described this process as follows: “The reforms, which will be enacted over the coming months and years, will be specific to the United States rather than negotiated through the United Nations.” Pace has explained that “the space council opted for a bottom-up process in the name of expediency rather than trying to create an international treaty. By setting a proper example, the United States intends to establish norms that Europe, China, Russia, and others working in space will follow.”

Development of New Capabilities to Engage in Active Debris Removal

There remain a number of issues to be resolved as to the regulatory environment that would allow governmental or private entities to engage in active debris removal. Some believe that an amendment is needed to the Liability Agreement that places responsibility for space objects with the registered “launching state” rather than with the actual owner and operator of a spacecraft. Currently it is only the ‘launching state’ that is held responsible for all generated space debris. The key point is whether liability for space objects might be transferred from one entity to another and if “absolute liability” might be transferred for debris striking Earth from one entity to another.

One of the latest significant developments in the area of licensing of satellite launches, updating of space oversight processes, and space traffic management. These subjects have all been addressed newly issued U.S. Space Policy Directive-2 and Space Policy Directive-3 that have been issued in the U.S. in April and June 2018. (See Appendices 2 and 3 at the end this book for the full text.)

The main thrust of these latest U.S. Space Policy Directives has been to say in effect that there would be a national effort to increase the speed of licensing of satellite systems, particularly large-scale constellations, on one hand, but to also improve the accuracy of space situational awareness and to improve measures to engage in space traffic management by the U.S. on the other. The hope of these efforts is apparently to urge other space-faring nations to follow suit and consider these practices as a mutual form of “Transparency and Confidence Building Measures” that space-faring nations would follow and seek to observe as well.

While the regulatory and global space governance aspects of this sensitive matter continue to be considered and pend in international forums such as the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and in its Working Group on the Long Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (LTSOSA), actual efforts to improve both space situational awareness and space traffic management processes continue to improve.

There are now a number of commercial entities that are tracking space objectives around the world, and the U.S. Space Policy Directive -3 directs the U.S. Space Command to take these sources of information into account in addition to using the additional resources of the new S-Band Radar addressed earlier in this chapter.

In addition, there are a number of Earth-based laser and directed energy systems that might be employed to re-direct the orbits of space objects that are in danger of potentially colliding with other space objects to create more space debris. These types of systems are probably the most cost-effective way to avoid space object collisions in the shorter term, but there is a wide consensus that this is not likely to provide a long terms solution and that active debris removal activities—either by governments or commercial operators – must constitute a longer-term solution. There have even been suggestions that a form of space insurance process might be devised to implement a commercial type approach to the space debris problem over the longer term.

Meanwhile there are a number of efforts that are going forward to develop the actual technology that might be able to address the orbital debris effort. Many of these efforts involve such ideas as having massive systems deploy (?) at the end of life or even go into space and deploy netting, expoxies or balloon systems to help space junk to de-orbit at a more rapid pace.

The following, however, represent some of the current programs that are seeking to develop and operate systems that could carry out active debris removal. A number of these efforts represent commercial initiatives.

ConeXpress Orbital Life Extension Vehicle [Sometimes called ConeX or (CX-OLEV)]

This initiative of Dutch Space of Leiden is based in the Netherlands but it is closely associated with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace. The initial concept that gave rise to ConeX was to use what is called “the standard Ariane-5 conical payload adapter” as the main feature of its design. This project is seeking to create a propulsive unit that would fit in as a flattened cone-shaped mechanism uniquely designed to fit as an integral part of the Ariane 5 launch vehicle . . .

McDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) – Space Infrastructure Servicing

McDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has long been a leader in developing space robotic systems. They have also been one of the first commercial firms to develop systems that could be used as free flying on-orbit servicing vehicles due to their work for NASA and DARPA. They have developed what they call a Space Infrastructure Servicing vehicle. This SES vehicle has been designed as a multi-functional unit designed for on-orbit servicing, refueling or retrofit, or for repositioning a satellite in the ‘wrong’ orbit, or as a means for active debris removal . . .

Vivisat – Mission Extension Vehicle

Vivisat, which is U.S.-based, has developed what it calls its Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV). Vivasat was organized as a direct competitor to SIS. This MEV on-orbit service has been presented as a means for refueling and repairing satellites, but it could also be used for repositioning of spacecraft or to undertake active debris removal. It is originally advertised as being more flexible, in that the MEV was designed to mate with virtually all of the roughly 500 geosynchronous application satellites currently in orbit or now scheduled for launch. The SIS vehicle has now also been redesigned so that it can capture and mate with spacecraft not designed for on-orbit servicing . . .

X-37B OTV – NASA, U.S. Air Force and DARPA

Some have indicated that other initiatives, such as the U.S. Air Force X37B OTV, might be used for reclaiming and re-deploying space resources in a cost- effective manner as a re-usable vehicle. The X-37B orbital test vehicle has been developed as an experimental, re-usable spaceplane. This vehicle that is somewhat like a small shuttle is unmanned and completely robotic. This is now a classified project after this project was turned over to the U.S. Air Force from NASA . . .

Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser Space Plane

Yet another alternative for a vehicle that might be used for on-orbit servicing or to deploy systems to initiative de-orbit of large defunct objects in low Earth orbit is the Sierra Nevada Space Plane that has now been dropped from the competition for a means to fly astronauts to the International Space Station and provide a return capability.

The Remove Debris Small Satellite

On June 20, 2018 the “Remove Debris” proof of concept small satellite was launched through the Kaber Launch facility operated by Nanoracks from the International Space Station.

This small satellite with a mass of some 100 Kg was constructed by Surrey Space Technology Ltd after some 5 years of development. This experimental small satellite is designed to test the feasibility of various concepts that have been proposed for lower cost ways to create ‘passive systems’ that might accelerate the de-orbit defunct space object . . .

German DLR DEOS Mission

Another effort to demonstrate active debris removal is the so-called DEOS mission that is being carried out by the German Space Agency DLR. This project which has a target satellite and a chaser satellite that will capture the target satellite and demonstrate its removal from orbit is, in many ways, akin to the DARPA/NASA Orbital Express mission completed in 2007. It has precise sensors that will ensure that the capture in orbit is successful and that the mating is accomplished without damaging to the chasing or target satellite.

Clean Space One - EPFL

A miniature version of the Orbital Express and the DEOS mission is the experimental test known as CleanSpace One. This mission is being carried out from a team of organizations in Switzerland. This project, that is using only CubeSat technology, is being led by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and The Swiss Space Centre – a unit of EPFL. The other partner was the Swiss Space Systems (S-3) that has now declared bankruptcy and this may delay the project.

EDDE—Electro-Dynamic Debris Eliminator

. . . This is the proposed deployment of a space system that could be sustained in space by using the Earth’s magnetic field to create electronic propulsive force to deploy a device that deploys ‘passive nets’ to create atmospheric drag to de-orbit debris. NASA in 2012 awarded a $1.9 million development contract to the Star Technology and Research (STAR) Company. This system, as shown below in Figure 7.8, is known as the Electro-Dynamic Debris Eliminator (EDDE).

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