Trainee Project
Title:
Regeneration Paradigm Applied to Space Debris
Dates:
2024/03/01 - 2024/07/31
Supervisor(s):
Description:
Following initial work by the CRAN on the regeneration paradigm, we were asked by CNES to apply this paradigm within the context of space debris.
Indeed, since the first spacecraft was launched into space in 1957 (Sputnik), satellite engineering has progressed, notably focusing on improving payload
and platform performance, reliability, lifespan, energy efficiency, and so forth.
However, the overall approach of the space sector has remained the same: after their period of use, non-functional satellites are left in space without
fulfilling any mission or service, potentially for a very long duration (from decades to centuries in low Earth orbit, millions of years in geostationary
orbits). This very linear scheme thus leads to the production of space debris, the number of which continues to grow continuously and even
exponentially in areas of space where a chain reaction (also known as the Kessler effect) has begun.
These debris represent, among other things, a negative externality for all space actors, as they need to be tracked and their trajectories monitored in order
to, if necessary, perform maneuvers (which consume propellants, a non-easily renewable resource, although the emergence of in-orbit servicing and
refueling could mitigate this) to prevent an active satellite from risking collision. Another, more circular ("regenerative") approach seems possible and
even desirable. It is in line with this latter approach that the master's work is proposed.
The objective of this internship is to study what could be the engineering of a regeneration process adapted to space objects, in order to derive
recommendations on their design, implementation, as well as the need for suitable or dedicated space infrastructures and services.
The expected activities are structured around 3 main areas:
Bibliography and reinforcement of acculturation: (i) Bibliographic research on the characteristics of currently orbiting space objects: structures and
compositions, engineering methods, and main industrial processes, ...(ii) Bibliographic research on the natural (radiation, particles, etc.) and artificial
(debris) space environment: quantified elements, physical (energetic) processes at work, ... and (iii) Bibliographic research on the theme of green space.
Proposal of engineering for a regenerative space ecosystem. According to a methodology to be defined and based on previous and current academic
work, adapt the concept of industrial regeneration to the specific case of space objects in orbit, particularly: (i) identify and define the regeneration
potentials of space objects in orbit, (ii) identify and define for this specific case what could be regenerators, industrial decomposers, technical nutrients,
and (iii) propose schemes of industrial regeneration circuits for satellite 'waste-products', explicating the regeneration processes.
Based on the engineering proposal, recommendations are required for both the design of space objects in orbit and their implementation, in order to
increase their regeneration potential.
Indeed, since the first spacecraft was launched into space in 1957 (Sputnik), satellite engineering has progressed, notably focusing on improving payload
and platform performance, reliability, lifespan, energy efficiency, and so forth.
However, the overall approach of the space sector has remained the same: after their period of use, non-functional satellites are left in space without
fulfilling any mission or service, potentially for a very long duration (from decades to centuries in low Earth orbit, millions of years in geostationary
orbits). This very linear scheme thus leads to the production of space debris, the number of which continues to grow continuously and even
exponentially in areas of space where a chain reaction (also known as the Kessler effect) has begun.
These debris represent, among other things, a negative externality for all space actors, as they need to be tracked and their trajectories monitored in order
to, if necessary, perform maneuvers (which consume propellants, a non-easily renewable resource, although the emergence of in-orbit servicing and
refueling could mitigate this) to prevent an active satellite from risking collision. Another, more circular ("regenerative") approach seems possible and
even desirable. It is in line with this latter approach that the master's work is proposed.
The objective of this internship is to study what could be the engineering of a regeneration process adapted to space objects, in order to derive
recommendations on their design, implementation, as well as the need for suitable or dedicated space infrastructures and services.
The expected activities are structured around 3 main areas:
Bibliography and reinforcement of acculturation: (i) Bibliographic research on the characteristics of currently orbiting space objects: structures and
compositions, engineering methods, and main industrial processes, ...(ii) Bibliographic research on the natural (radiation, particles, etc.) and artificial
(debris) space environment: quantified elements, physical (energetic) processes at work, ... and (iii) Bibliographic research on the theme of green space.
Proposal of engineering for a regenerative space ecosystem. According to a methodology to be defined and based on previous and current academic
work, adapt the concept of industrial regeneration to the specific case of space objects in orbit, particularly: (i) identify and define the regeneration
potentials of space objects in orbit, (ii) identify and define for this specific case what could be regenerators, industrial decomposers, technical nutrients,
and (iii) propose schemes of industrial regeneration circuits for satellite 'waste-products', explicating the regeneration processes.
Based on the engineering proposal, recommendations are required for both the design of space objects in orbit and their implementation, in order to
increase their regeneration potential.
Department(s):
| Modeling and Control of Industrial Systems |