High energy pulsed lasers driving irregular centimeter-level space debris in low Earth orbit

The aim is to investigate active debris removal (ADR) by space-based pulsed lasers irradiating irregular centimeter-level space debris in low Earth orbit and reveal the ADR behaviors of the debris deorbit for different impulse coupling coefficients, laser parameters, and arguments of perigees by numerical simulations. A simulated model of debris-controlled deorbit was established to analyze the ADR process driven by pulsed lasers of a space-based platform, and the whole ADR procedure by space-based pulsed lasers irradiating the debris is also designed. The conclusions were that the number of laser pulses used for the perigee altitude of the debris descending to 200 km was obviously reduced, and the action time of ADR was also greatly shortened with the increase of impulse coupling coefficients. The number of laser pulses required for the debris perigee altitude to drop below 200 km was significantly reduced with the increase of laser fluxes, but the variation amplitude of the debris perigee altitude with laser pulses was very small based on the pulsed lasers of different repetition frequencies. Especially when the difference between the argument of perigees of the laser platform and the debris did not exceed 2.5°, the goal of the ADR process was smoothly achieved.