Biomimetic space debris removal: conceptual design of bio-inspired active debris removal scenarios

The ever-increasing number of man-made space debris creates the need for new technologies to mitigate it. Therefore, within the ESA-funded project BIOINSPACED, biologically inspired solutions for active debris removal were investigated, conceptualized and integrated to innovative and comprehensive scenarios. In the following, the collection process of existing and new biomimetic concepts as well as the evaluation of ten concepts based on a feasibility analysis will be presented. Out of the ten, the three most promising scenarios, were chosen for further investigation and further elaborated in detail specifying the biological models incorporated as well as how the scenario could be implemented in a simple demonstrator. The first scenario (A) is a gecko kit canon and describes a system that fires deorbiting kits towards the target from a safe distance. The second scenario (B) involves a robotic arm with a gecko-adhesive end-effector and a bee-inspired harpoon to achieve a preliminary and subsequent rigid connection to the target. The last scenario (C) is mimicking a Venus Flytrap and its bi-stale mechanism to capture its prey. One of these scenarios will be manufactured and built into a demonstrator to showcase biology's potential for the development, optimization and improvement of technologies, especially within the space industry.