GEO debris towing removal using reel control of tethered space robots

Abstract

The avoidance of collision and intertwist is of great significance for debris towing removal. For this purpose, a removal strategy using releasing mechanism is proposed in this paper. The dynamics model is established, taking into account the tether slackness, platform orbital motion, relative motion of the two end bodies and their in-plane attitude. Platform and debris are assumed to be rectangle and square with certain size respectively. Therefore, the twisted length of unstretched tether is defined to investigate the change of tension during twist. Through the study of the impact of tension on collision and twist, a motor control law of releasing mechanism is developed to adjust tension. Simulation shows that the tension is confined to the defined bounds, making the platform-debris distance kept in a safe range while preventing the twist.