The Sustainability of the Leo Orbit Capacity via Risk-Driven Active Debris Removal

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Medhin, Yacob, Servadio, Simone
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Medhin, Yacob
Servadio, Simone
author_facet Medhin, Yacob
Servadio, Simone
contents The growing number of space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) jeopardizes long-term orbital sustainability, requiring efficient risk assessment for active debris removal (ADR) missions. This study presents the development and validation of Filtered Modified MITRI (FMM), an enhanced risk index designed to improve the prioritization of high-criticality debris. Leveraging the MOCAT-MC simulation framework, we conducted a comprehensive performance evaluation and sensitivity analysis to probe the robustness of the FMM formulation. The results demonstrate that while the FMM provides superior identification of high-risk targets for annual removal campaigns, a nuanced performance trade-off exists between risk models depending on the operational removal cadence. The analysis also confirms that physically grounded mass terms are indispensable for practical risk assessment. By providing a validated open source tool and critical insights into the dynamics of risk, this research enhances our ability to select optimal ADR targets and ensure the long-term viability of LEO operations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_16101
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Sustainability of the Leo Orbit Capacity via Risk-Driven Active Debris Removal
Medhin, Yacob
Servadio, Simone
Systems and Control
Space Physics
The growing number of space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) jeopardizes long-term orbital sustainability, requiring efficient risk assessment for active debris removal (ADR) missions. This study presents the development and validation of Filtered Modified MITRI (FMM), an enhanced risk index designed to improve the prioritization of high-criticality debris. Leveraging the MOCAT-MC simulation framework, we conducted a comprehensive performance evaluation and sensitivity analysis to probe the robustness of the FMM formulation. The results demonstrate that while the FMM provides superior identification of high-risk targets for annual removal campaigns, a nuanced performance trade-off exists between risk models depending on the operational removal cadence. The analysis also confirms that physically grounded mass terms are indispensable for practical risk assessment. By providing a validated open source tool and critical insights into the dynamics of risk, this research enhances our ability to select optimal ADR targets and ensure the long-term viability of LEO operations.
title The Sustainability of the Leo Orbit Capacity via Risk-Driven Active Debris Removal
topic Systems and Control
Space Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.16101