Small spacecraft for the registration of micrometeorites and space debris

Abstract

Small spacecraft (SSC) is exposed to fluxes of micrometeoroids and space debris during its flight in space environment. These effects may result in the destruction of the SSC. The article describes the design of the SSC for the registration of micrometeoroids and space debris. The SSC is made up of the orientation system, detectors of micrometeoroids and space debris particles based on microchannel plates. A 3D-model of SSC has been developed and its full-scale mockup has been made. The method of measuring registration of micrometeoroids and space debris particles is based on the measurement of the ion current of shock plasma that is formed in the particles hypervelocity impact with the detector target (solar batteries and the film stretched between them). The great area of the detector target increases the probability of its interaction with high-velocity micro-particles and increases the efficiency of the detector.

Keywords

• small spacecraft
• micrometeoroids
• space debris
• mockup
• detector