Sun-Earth debris study, part 1: Preliminary investigation of debris propagation dynamics near the Sun-Earth collinear Lagrange points

The Sun-Earth L1 and L2 Lagrange points offer a unique and advantageous location for missions related to heliophysics, astronomy, and the overall study of the Solar System. As interest in these points grows and becomes more populated, however, the chance for artificial space debris to inflict hazard on the region increases. The Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CR3BP) may be used to propagate the motion of debris in the region, and this paper investigates the debris propagation dynamics associated with a catastrophic spacecraft breakup occurring in currently used orbits about the Sun-Earth L1 and L2 points. The NASA Standard Breakup Model is used for debris generation along with an isotropic breakup model for comparison. Additionally, this research provides a cohesive and comprehensive overview of L1 and L2 point history spacecraft history. Past, present, and future missions are detailed, with each vehicle's respective nation, launch date, orbit type, orbital parameters, objective, and current mission status all simplified into four tables. Overall, this research found that for selected halo orbits, debris traverses throughout the system, including other Lagrange points, with 92% of debris exiting the system within one year of propagation.