Spacecraft Survivability in a Catastrophic Formation Mishap

摘要

Formation flying of spacecraft has provided and enhanced mission utility, cost, and performance. However, with formation flying comes increased risks to the formation spacecraft if an on-board catastrophic mishap would occur. This research looks at the mission survivability of a formation of small spacecraft in low Earth orbit assuming a battery explosion aboard one of the constituent spacecraft. Specifically, the probability of debris impact arising from the explosion will be determined for the formation based on relative formation distance and formation configuration. Also, the magnitude of the explosion and the resultant fragmentation debris is varied based on different options for debris dispersion from the satellite bus primary structure.