The cascade fragmentation of a satellite constellation

The possibility of a cascade fragmentation occurring within a constellation of satellites is examined. The study sets out to quantify the additional risk of a collision with debris encountered by the constellation satellites as a direct result of the breakup of a system member or a constellation lau...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advances in space research 1995-01, Vol.16 (11), p.119-122
Main Authors: Barrows, S.P., Swinerd, G.G., Crowther, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The possibility of a cascade fragmentation occurring within a constellation of satellites is examined. The study sets out to quantify the additional risk of a collision with debris encountered by the constellation satellites as a direct result of the breakup of a system member or a constellation launch vehicle. A new method of determining the collision probability for an object passing through a debris cloud is used which is both versatile and completely general in its application. The new method does not explicitly assume a cloud shape or require an overly simplistic breakup model and as such avoids many of the pitfalls and sources of error found in many earlier studies. The nature of the fragmentation event is found to significantly affect the additional collision risk to the constellation above the ‘background’ level and thus govern the possible occurrence of a catastrophic breakup chain reaction.
ISSN:0273-1177
1879-1948
DOI:10.1016/0273-1177(95)98761-C