The Review of Laser Engineering
Online ISSN : 1349-6603
Print ISSN : 0387-0200
ISSN-L : 0387-0200
Laser Review
Orbit and Attitude Control of Space Debris Using Laser Ablation
Yasuhiro YOSHIMURAToshiya HANADA
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2024 Volume 52 Issue 12 Pages 671-

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Abstract
Laser ablation technology is a promising method for contactless debris removal. The challenges of using laser ablation thrusts include the thrust’s small magnitude and its directional constraint. Thrust is generated along the inward direction of the irradiation surface’s normal vector, requiring prior control of the debris attitude so that the irradiation surface aligns with the orbital velocity direction. For attitude control, the thrust directional constraint translates to a torque directional constraint. For orbit control, the small magnitude of the laser ablation thrust gradually deviates from the relative orbit. Consequently, the service satellite must maneuver to maintain a relative orbit and ensure consistent laser irradiation. To tackle these problems, this paper introduces an attitude control method using angular momentum feedback and a relative orbit control method that repeatedly returns to a desired relative orbit using an analytical solution.
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© 2024 by The Laser Society of Japan
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