REVUS · Reducing the Vulnerability of Space Systems

It is accepted that space debris will increase in the nextdecades despite any considerable effort made to limit their generation.Debris of more than 10cm can be avoided by the satellites and also thevery small particles of less than 0.1cm are taken into account in thecurrent designs. The debris from 0.1 to 10cm is however not predictable,not taken into account today and could severely damage a spacecraft. Theprobability of damage by such particles could reach an unacceptable levelthus creating a new paradigm for LEO satellites. A better protection ofspace systems against damage caused by debris collision is the aim of theReVuS study, articulated around 4 lines: - To restore the existing modelsand works for the prediction and the knowledge of damage assessment (LDEF,SS, Colombus…). - To assess the solutions  At system level, withdistributed/fractionated architectures, or by using active detection andmitigation strategies. On the satellite exterior, by defining and testingnew shielding materials derived from ground markets In the satelliteinterior , by editing new rules of harness routing & equipmentconfiguration - Resilience analysis, evaluating the proposed solutions& generating recommendations/design rules. Assess possiblestandardisation. - To dispatch the results to the space community. METOPand a Radar satellite will be used as a guiding principle for all theanalysis The consortium led by Astrium Satellites gathers all expertiserequired. The Ernst-Mach-Institut (EMI Fraunhoffer), the universities ofSurrey, Southampton & Braunschweig will provide the backgroundknowledge and models. The shielding materials will be defined by TenCateAdvanced Composites, and tested in the EMI facilities. The users willparticipate in the analysis. HisCox will represent the insurer of thesatellite. The dissemination of the results will be ensured by AstriPolska Sp.z o.o