Rendezvous with and Capture / Removal of Non-Cooperative Bodies in Orbit

Removal of debris from orbit becomes an increasing urgency because the growing amount of non-controlled spacecraft, residuals from launchers and other items orbiting around the Earth pose an increasing threat of collision with operational satellites. Also, for larger bodies in lower orbits the threat of uncontrolled impact on ground after re-entry exists. Whereas in very low orbits all bodies will decay after some time due to the residual atmosphere, in higher orbits they will stay for considerable time or practically forever. For objects in higher orbits and for those posing the threat of uncontrolled impact, active removal will be the sole remedy. The tasks to be performed from approach to contact and the technical challenges to be mastered to achieve capture and removal from orbit are discussed in this paper. The major challenges are the far range approach without navigation interfaces on the target, relative position control of the chaser in close vicinity of a tumbling target, capture of such target without capture interfaces and the establishment of a structural connection, which is stiff enough for controlled deorbitation.