Feasibility of using CubeSats and small detectors for in-situ space debris and cosmic dust flux measurement.
Saved in:
| Title: | Feasibility of using CubeSats and small detectors for in-situ space debris and cosmic dust flux measurement. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Cornwell, Luke T.1 (AUTHOR) ltc7@kent.ac.uk, Burchell, Mark J.1 (AUTHOR), Wozniakiewicz, Penelope J.1 (AUTHOR) p.j.wozniakiewicz@kent.ac.uk |
| Source: | Advances in Space Research. May2025, Vol. 75 Issue 9, p6944-6959. 16p. |
| Subjects: | Cosmic dust, Space vehicles, Hazard mitigation, Orbits (Astronomy), Dust measurement, Space debris |
| Abstract: | • The risk to spacecraft from impact damage by space debris is characterised by debris size and shown to peak at 1–10 mm. • Use of CubeSats to host impact detectors for 1 mm size debris is shown to be feasible and cost-effective. • The impact detector technologies available for use on CubeSats are summarised. Impacts on spacecraft by mm-sized debris in Earth orbit can have severe consequences including loss of a spacecraft and generation of more debris. This hazard and potential mitigation are discussed herein, and the risk of an impact (the product of flux and damage) is found vs. size. Reduction of the future flux of mm-sized debris by de-orbiting life-expired space vehicles, only reduces, not eliminates, this hazard. It is thus vital that the flux of mm-sized objects in orbit is well defined, but this requires on-orbit determination. To provide statistically meaningful debris flux data, large detection areas are traditionally required. CubeSats could host debris detectors, but only have small surface areas, and the data from many would be required. Accordingly, flux data from historic small space exposed surfaces are compared herein to MASTER flux model predictions, with good agreement for exposure times of just a few years, demonstrating a viable method to determine the debris flux. The cost of a network of CubeSat mounted impact detectors is also estimated found, and, for fleets of order 100 CubeSats, is comparable to the traditional single large satellite mounted instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Advances in Space Research is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 184559641 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Feasibility of using CubeSats and small detectors for in-situ space debris and cosmic dust flux measurement. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cornwell%2C+Luke+T%2E%22">Cornwell, Luke T.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> ltc7@kent.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Burchell%2C+Mark+J%2E%22">Burchell, Mark J.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wozniakiewicz%2C+Penelope+J%2E%22">Wozniakiewicz, Penelope J.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> p.j.wozniakiewicz@kent.ac.uk</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Advances+in+Space+Research%22">Advances in Space Research</searchLink>. May2025, Vol. 75 Issue 9, p6944-6959. 16p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cosmic+dust%22">Cosmic dust</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Space+vehicles%22">Space vehicles</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hazard+mitigation%22">Hazard mitigation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Orbits+%28Astronomy%29%22">Orbits (Astronomy)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Dust+measurement%22">Dust measurement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Space+debris%22">Space debris</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: • The risk to spacecraft from impact damage by space debris is characterised by debris size and shown to peak at 1–10 mm. • Use of CubeSats to host impact detectors for 1 mm size debris is shown to be feasible and cost-effective. • The impact detector technologies available for use on CubeSats are summarised. Impacts on spacecraft by mm-sized debris in Earth orbit can have severe consequences including loss of a spacecraft and generation of more debris. This hazard and potential mitigation are discussed herein, and the risk of an impact (the product of flux and damage) is found vs. size. Reduction of the future flux of mm-sized debris by de-orbiting life-expired space vehicles, only reduces, not eliminates, this hazard. It is thus vital that the flux of mm-sized objects in orbit is well defined, but this requires on-orbit determination. To provide statistically meaningful debris flux data, large detection areas are traditionally required. CubeSats could host debris detectors, but only have small surface areas, and the data from many would be required. Accordingly, flux data from historic small space exposed surfaces are compared herein to MASTER flux model predictions, with good agreement for exposure times of just a few years, demonstrating a viable method to determine the debris flux. The cost of a network of CubeSat mounted impact detectors is also estimated found, and, for fleets of order 100 CubeSats, is comparable to the traditional single large satellite mounted instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Advances in Space Research is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=184559641 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1016/j.asr.2024.06.058 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 16 StartPage: 6944 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Cosmic dust Type: general – SubjectFull: Space vehicles Type: general – SubjectFull: Hazard mitigation Type: general – SubjectFull: Orbits (Astronomy) Type: general – SubjectFull: Dust measurement Type: general – SubjectFull: Space debris Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Feasibility of using CubeSats and small detectors for in-situ space debris and cosmic dust flux measurement. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Cornwell, Luke T. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Burchell, Mark J. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Wozniakiewicz, Penelope J. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 05 Text: May2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 02731177 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 75 – Type: issue Value: 9 Titles: – TitleFull: Advances in Space Research Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
