Design, development, and experiments of novel tether-net release mechanism
Hirohisa Kojima, Sajjad Keshtkar, Fumika Baba, Y. Kato, Haruma Suzuki, Kaito Kosuge, Pavel M. Trivailo
Abstract
This paper presents the general concept, mechanism, and components of a novel net-launching device for capturing space objects. The novelty of the solution and its distinct features, which ensure safer and more sustainable in-space performance as compared with the known previous solutions, are also described. Furthermore, issues related to the design parameters of the device and its parts are highlighted, and detailed calculations and analyses are presented. Examples of design solutions for real-scale applications involving the removal of space debris and a miniaturized mechanism (as a case study) are presented. The features of the proposed device are highlighted, and its efficacy and potential are demonstrated using numerical simulations and field experiments.