Satellite

Debris

Engineering

Orbit (dynamics)

Aerospace engineering

Space launch

Systems engineering

Operating system

Computer science

Launch vehicle

Business

Physics

Geography

Low earth orbit

Economic policy

Environmental science

Space debris

Astrobiology

Software engineering

Spacecraft

Meteorology

European commission

Software deployment

Space (punctuation)

European union

Aeronautics

Acta Astronautica

This is the first of two companion papers that describe the development of the RemoveDEBRIS; mission. This first article focusses on the mission design and hardware development up to the delivery of the spacecraft to the launch authority. The Second article describes the in-orbit operations. The European Commission funded RemoveDebris mission has been the world's first Active Debris Removal (ADR) missions to demonstrate, in orbit, some cost effective key technologies, including net and harpoon capture; and elements of the whole sequence of operations, like the vision-based navigation, ultimately planning to terminate the mission with the deployment of the dragsail to de-orbit the craft. The mission has utilised two 2U CubeSats as artificial debris targets released from the main 100 kg satellite, to demonstrate the various technologies. This paper examines the design of the mission from initial concepts through to Manufacture, Assembly Integration and Testing of the payloads, up to launch, and apart from a general consideration of the mission, will focus on the elements of design and testing that differ from a conventional mission.

The active space debris removal mission RemoveDebris. Part 1: From concept to launch