Supporting the Development of Active Debris Removal Using Weighted Networks

Active debris removal (ADR) procedures are necessary to reduce the risk posed by space debris. The choice of objects to be removed in an ADR campaign needs to be based on a robust selection process. Building on the techniques introduced in previous work, networks were constructed using data from a 'no new launches' simulation generated by the University of Southampton's DAMAGE model for a 21 year projection period between 2009 and 2030. The network edges were weighted according to the collision probability between objects. The vertices were weighted according to the 'vertex measures' which were the product of edge weight and the object mass. This paper quantifies how the removal of individual objects affects the topology of the network, using measures of strength and affinity. It is shown that by removing the objects represented by particular vertices, the connectivity of the network can be reduced, decreasing the potential for collisions.