Analytical Study of the Performance of Electrodynamic Tether Orbit Transfer System with Consideration of Lifetime by the Impact of Space Debris

The performance of an elecrodynamic tether orbit transfer system was analyzed in consideration of the tether lifetime in relation to the possible impact of debris to examine the possibility of its application to round-trip transportation missions between near-earth orbits. The mass, the electric power, and the mission duration of a tether orbit transfer system were determined by using the operating principles of an electrodynamic tether, with the mission analysis based on a simplified orbit transfer analysis model of a low-thrust thruster for representative parameters. The results were compared with those of an ion thruster orbit transfer system. A tether lifetime was determined by using a “ORDEM96” space debris model produced by NASA and the relation of impact cross-section between tether wire and debris. The results showed the existence of a lower limit of mission duration for each altitude of arrival orbit and a higher limit of arrival orbit altitude for each mission duration, and the increase of tether length or the number of tethers was not necessarily effective in regard to tether lifetime and the possibility of debris impact. The results also showed that the tether orbit transfer system had a mass advantage when compared to the ion thruster orbit transfer system for the same missions up to an altitude of 6,000 km.