ELSA-D – A Novel End-Of-Life Debris Removal Mission: Mission Overview, CONOPS, And Launch Preparations

TARGET GROUP: SPACE DEBRIS IN LOW EARTH ORBIT

OBJECTIVES

To demonstrate and test several capabilities and technologies in-orbit for future debris removal missions.

SUMMARY

ELSA-d, which stands for End of Life Services by Astroscale (-demonstration), is an in-orbit demonstration (IOD) for key end-of-life TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION and capabilities of future debris removal missions. In Astroscale (AS), end-of-life (EOL) and active debris removal (ADR) have the following distinction: EOL is concerned with removal of future entities that are launched with a docking plate (DP) for semi-cooperative removal, whilst ADR is concerned with removal of existing entities in space that do not have a DP and are fully non-cooperative. ELSA-d, due for launch in 2020, consists of two spacecraft, a servicer (180 kg) and a client (20 kg), launched stacked together. The servicer is equipped with proximity rendezvous technologies and a magnetic capture mechanism, whereas the client has a DP which enables it to be captured. With the servicer repeatedly releasing and capturing the client, a series of demonstrations can be undertaken including: client search, client inspection, client rendezvous, and both non-tumbling and tumbling capture. ELSA-d is operated from the UK at the National In-orbit Servicing Control Centre Facility, developed by ASTRO SCALE as a key part of the ground segment.

 REFERENCE

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/orbitaldebris2019/orbital2019paper/pdf/6076.pdf