Integrated Guidance, Navigation, and Control System Design for Active Debris Removal

Active debris removal missions are of paramount importance to mitigate the space debris problem around Earth. However, due to the complexity of such a debris removal mission, the first one is still to be launched. In particular, one critical technology enabler is presented by the guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system, as it is required to autonomously navigate around an uncontrolled and tumbling debris item. Therefore, the current paper is aimed at providing an integrated GNC system design to execute the final rendezvous with an uncooperative and passive debris object in low-Earth orbit (LEO). Specifically, it is focused on executing the most complex phase of an active debris removal mission, given in terms of its close-range rendezvous operations. The innovation of this paper lies in providing an end-to-end GNC system design, containing state of the art algorithms for the guidance, navigation, and control functions, along with the selection of appropriate navigation sensors and control actuators. Moreover, the proposed GNC system design showcases its autonomy and robustness by handing a wide variety of mission scenarios, while maintaining a terminal position accuracy at centimeter level and a limited propellant consumption. Furthermore, it is concluded that, as the developed GNC system design does not contain any intrinsic properties of its target, it can be employed during any generic active debris removal mission in LEO.