US 12,280,897 B2
Capture-less orbital debris management system (CODMS), method, and CODMS satellite
Jeffrey Bruce Morse, Haymarket, VA (US)
Assigned to widgetblender, LLC, Haymarket, VA (US)
Filed by Jeffrey Bruce Morse, Haymarket, VA (US)
Filed on Sep. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/954,144.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/360,386, filed on Sep. 29, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0278940 A1, Aug. 22, 2024
Int. Cl. B64G 1/56 (2006.01); B64G 1/24 (2006.01)
CPC B64G 1/56 (2013.01) [B64G 1/247 (2023.08)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for capture-less management of an orbital debris object, the method comprising:
controlling a satellite having opposing thrusters to be within a predetermined distance of the orbital debris object, wherein the opposing thrusters include at least one pair of thrusters on opposite sides of the satellite that fire in opposite directions at equal strength;
controlling the opposing thrusters to maintain the predetermined distance between the satellite and the orbital debris object;
characterizing the orbital debris object;
determining a mitigation strategy to manage the orbital debris object from among a plurality of mitigation strategies based on the characterizing; and
controlling the opposing thrusters to execute a determined mitigation strategy for the orbital debris object by momentum transfer to the orbital debris object.