MOVE-III: A CubeSat for the detection of sub-millimetre space debris and meteoroids in Low Earth Orbit

Abstract

The Munich Orbital Verification Experiment (MOVE) is a CubeSat student project housed at the Scientific Workgroup for Rocketry and Spaceflight at the Technical University of Munich. MOVE-III is the fourth CubeSat under development, and the first 6U mission of the MOVE project that will carry a dedicated scientific payload in orbit. The mission aims at acquiring in-situ observations of sub-millimetre space debris and meteoroids in Low Earth Orbit, with the objective of compiling a dataset of flux, as well as object mass and velocity measurements that can be used for the validation of the small object estimates of space debris models and support further studies related to the characterisation of the space environment. The MOVE-III CubeSat employs the MOVE-BEYOND platform and is planned to carry three Debris Density Retrieval and Analysis (DEDRA) plasma ionization sensors. The Preliminary Design Review has been completed in early 2022, with the next milestone being the Critical Design Review, planned for 2023. The paper elaborates on the scientific objectives of the mission and the expected data products, provides an overview of the detector operation principle and presents the overall system architecture, the platform configuration and the subsystem interaction. Considerations on the debris mitigation aspects of the mission are additionally discussed.

Aerodynamic Analysis of Deorbit Drag Sail for CubeSat Using DSMC Method

“…MOVE-III is proposed to be the fourth CubeSat of the Munich Orbital Verification Experiment (MOVE), a student project at the Technical University of Munich [24]. The Cube-Sat has a size of 6U and carries scientific payloads to perform in situ observations [25] of sub-millimeter space debris and meteoroids in LEO based on the Munich Dust Counter [26].…”

“…A detailed CAD assembly model of MOVE-III is available in this study for further simplification (see Figure 1). The configuration of MOVE-III has three main parts: a deployable antenna, deployable solar panels, and the body frame [24]. Since MOVE-III is a CubeSat for scientific experiments and research, the total volume reserved for the drag sail system is assumed to be 1 U. Theoretically, the drag sail can assume any axially symmetric shape to prevent additional pitch and yaw moments, and if the shape is centrally symmetric, the internal stresses can be evenly distributed to each beam.…”

“…Prior to its launch into orbit, the CubeSat was housed within the rocket's payload adapter, and this configuration is referred to as the launch envelope, which denotes the size of MOVE-III's frame. Once fully deployed in orbit, the movable components are extended to form the orbit envelope [24]. In the case of post-sail-deployment scenarios, the scale of the characteristic length is determined by the span of the sail.…”