Active Debris Removal (ADR) System Architecture Analysis Tool (SAAT) Prototype for Orbital Debris Stabilization and Removal Architecture Development

It is critically important that a physics based ADR SAAT prototype be developed that can be refined and used across the community to study and analyze various remote (non-contact) orbital debris stabilization concepts and architectures prior to investing significant commercial or public funding into technology development, technology and system level demonstrations, and development and deployment of an Orbital Debris Stabilization/ADR system. Under this STTR, PA&S plans to develop a prototype Active Debris Removal System Architecture Analysis Tool (ADR SAAT) that we will use as the basis for the detailed architectural and business case analysis. The focus of this effort will be to selected and implement a core integrated architecture framework based on a SOA, adapt it as necessary, and develop the initial models, functions and interfaces necessary to develop the ADR SAAT prototype. The goal will be to provide the tool to NASA for community-wide development and use and which PA&S can adapt and use for detailed architectural analyses to define operating parameters, costs, and system level requirements. The intent of a Phase II effort would be to validate ADR SAAT with ground or flight experiments, continue to enhance its capabilities, and for detailed Debris Stabilization / Active Debris Removal Architecture analysis.

NASA will inevitably be one of the principal agencies tasked to development and implement methods for Orbital Debris Active Debris Removal. However, NASA's main mission is primarily exploration and scientific research. As such, we would expect NASA to manage commercialization of orbital debris mitigation and active debris removal efforts as a service, rather than as a primary mission. Further development of ADR SAAT following Phase I will be focused on using it to generate credible data to support a business case analysis of various orbital debris stabilization and removal concepts and technologies. Since we will have developed the ADR SAAT architecture with the flexibility to use it in hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop simulations, we will expand its capabilities in follow-on phases to use it as a test bed for developing Mission Planners, control algorithms, and for on the ground testing of in-flight hardware and software for system level demonstrations an experiments to prove the concept of non-contact debris stabilization. Ultimately, we envision that ADR SAAT will be viewed as an industry standard analysis package that can be used by government and commercial entities, as well as PA&S, for analysis, simulation, test and evaluation of Active Debris Removal systems and concepts.

PA&S expects that NASA, DoD, or other international entity's will evolved into a customer for commercial ADR services evolves over the next 5 to 10 years. We feel that services providers must begin now to develop the technologies, systems, and capabilities to address that commercial opportunity. ADR SAAT, the product of this STTR, will be a critical element of commercializing a system designed to stabilize unstable space debris and to actively reposition or remove those debris objects. The ADR SAAT will allow PA&S, NASA, and other entities to perform the systems engineering trades and analyses to optimize their technologies, develop system level requirements, and develop business cases, all critical elements in developing a business case to attract commercial investment. The flexibility afforded by a well-designed integrated framework will allow ADR SAAT to further be used to support prototyping, hardware in the loop testing, software in the loop testing, and system level simulations and modeling. Overall, it would be difficult, if not impossible to develop a commercial Active Debris Removal system without a capability such as ADR SAAT.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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