A review of electrodynamic tether missions: Historical trend, dimensionless parameters, and opportunities opening space markets Articles uri icon

publication date

  • December 2024

start page

  • 158

end page

  • 168

volume

  • 225

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0094-5765

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1879-2030

abstract

  • More than half a century after pioneering theoretical works proposed them, about 27 missions with long orbiting conductors have been carried out on suborbital and orbital flights,. The analysis of this review work organized them based on type of tether (insulated or bare), type of cathode (hollow cathode, expellant-less cathode, and no cathode), and the cross-section of the tether. It shows that, while all the missions in the 20th century used insulated and round tethers, the bare tether concept clearly dominated in the 21st century. Due to the cancellation of the ProSEDS mission and the suborbital character of the T-REX experiment, no tether mission with a bare tether and a hollow cathode has been on-orbit demonstrated. The E.T.PACK mission, planned by 2025/2026, can be the first on-orbit experiment testing such special EDT system, which is the one offering the largest propulsive performance. Therefore it can represent a turning point for the limited support received for the technology in the 21st century, confirmed by the fact that the total tether length used in the missions reduced from more than 40 km to less than 4 km between the 20th and 21st centuries. The study finds and discusses some important dimension-less parameters related to electrodynamic performance, current collection, and dynamic characteristics of the ProSEDS PROX-1, TEPCE, and E.T.PACK missions. Finally, some ideas to promote the opening and support of markets in the space sector by using electrodynamic tethers are provided.

subjects

  • Aeronautics

keywords

  • electrodynamic tethers; tether missions; space debris; space propulsion