Electrodynamic tethers for deorbiting maneuvers

Abstract - The space debris proliferation has focused the attention of the space community on passive tethers as deorbiting system, since Earth’s environment is particular favorable to fly such a system. An orbital simulator has been implemented to investigate the dynamics of the tether and its deorbiting performance. The code studies the tethered system as acted upon by gravity and forced by electrodynamic and aerodynamic forces. Moreover it includes all the upgraded environmental routines for the Earth’s atmosphere, magnetic field, electron density and gravity potential, so as to simulate as best as possible the actual situation in flight. Also the thermal dynamics of the tether has been taken into account, because the electric current intensity depends on the electrical resistance that varies with temperature. Particular attention has also been paid to the bending dynamics, because the Lorentz force is a distributed load all along the tether that excites the lateral vibration modes.