A spent upper stage removal mission aimed to reduce debris impact footprint size

A process of a spent upper stage removal from low Earth orbit is considered, which consists of three phases: towing of the stage using a tether; descent of the stage into the low-density atmosphere; motion of its debris fragments after the breakup caused by the aerodynamic and thermal loads. It is shown that the attitude motion of the stage during its descent largely affects its breakup altitude and consequently the size of debris impact footprint and its position on the surface of the Earth. A certain number of ways to reduce the footprint extent are proposed. As an example of using the proposed method, a numerical simulation of the removal of a spent Ariane 4 upper stage H10 was performed. The results of the study can be used for planning missions to clean up space debris from low Earth orbit. •A process of a spent upper stage removal from LEO is considered.•Towing of the stage by tether and descent of the stage into the earth's atmosphere are investigated.•Motion of its debris fragments after the breakup is studied.•Ways to reduce the footprint extent are proposed.•Simulation of the removal of a spent Ariane 4 upper stage was performed.