Prediction and experimental verification of tether net entanglement for space debris capture

Abstract

This study involved simulations and experiments aimed at assessing the efficacy of a tether net in encapsulating space debris. The tether net was modeled as a spring–mass–damper system considering the influence of aerodynamic and gravitational forces and the occurrence of debris collisions. To examine the influence of collision position and size disparity between the debris and the net on debris capture status, the entanglement nodes of the net were identified. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the wrapping capabilities of the tether net, focusing specifically on debris capture. Subsequently, the results were compared with those of the numerical simulation. In the experiments, radio frequency identification was used to identify the entanglement points of the tether net. Previous studies have indicated that the ideal collision point for capturing debris using a tether net with the debris intended to be captured is located at the center of the net. However, the experimental results of this study revealed that a collision position that is slightly shifted from the center of the tether net is more advantageous for capturing debris in terms of tether net entanglement.