Non-Propellant Eddy Current Brake and Traction in Space Using Magnetic Pulses

The safety of on-orbit satellites is threatened by space debris with large residual angular velocity and the space debris removal is becoming more challenging than before. This paper explores the non-contact despinning and traction problem of high-speed rotating targets and proposes an eddy current brake and traction technology for space targets without any propellant consumption. The principle of the conventional eddy current brake is analyzed in this article and the concept of eddy current brake and traction without propellant is put forward for the first time. Secondly, according to the key technical requirements, a brand-new structure of a satellite generating artificial magnetic field is designed accordingly. Then the control mechanism of eddy current brake and traction without propellant is analyzed qualitatively by simplifying the model and conditions. Then, the magnetic pulse control method is proposed and analyzed quantitatively. Finally, the feasibility of the technology is verified by the numerical simulation method. According to the simulation results, the eddy current brake and traction technology based on magnetic pulses can make the angular speed of target decrease linearly without propellant during the process. This technology has huge advantages compared with conventional eddy current brake technology in terms of efficiency and reduced propellant consumption.