Functional Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost for Active Debris Removal Missions: A Comparison of Different Architectures

This thesis analyses possible Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission architectures by comparing them on multiple levels. The objective is to determine if the proposed mission concepts, selected from already existing models, are suitable for the removal of critical debris under the environmental impact, costs and mitigation strategies points of view. A preliminary functional analysis is developed to determine the requirements, and the main functions that ADR satellites shall accomplish. Then, the proposed architectures are sized and their mass breakdown is analysed, being the starting point for the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Data for the Life Cycle Inventories is gathered from both previously developed LCAs and guidelines, while in some cases processes and materials are modelled autonomously. Costs are then estimated, based on existing advanced models. The impact of the launch vehicle on both environment and costs is included in the study, finding the most suitable option for each sized spacecraft. Lastly, the compliance with the selected requirements is verified, proceeding with the final architecture comparison. Results show how single-target satellites are better than multiple-target spacecraft for the removal of critical debris, due to their lower mass and, consequently, lower costs and impact. Also, the sized deorbit kits, which are devices capable of autonomously deorbiting objects by exploiting the space environment, are proven to be not suitable for the removal of the targets selected for the analysed missions, due to the uncontrolled re-entry they perform. The thesis contributes to the ADR research field by developing a functional analysis for ADR satellites and performing a multi-level study of different mission concepts, also suggesting some requirements and functions for further ADR operations.