Performance evaluation of propulsion systems as LEO deorbiting devices

Abstract

This paper evaluates the possibility of deorbiting a launch vehicle upper-stage at end-of-mission from low Earth orbit, by using an additional propulsion system as a means of achieving deorbiting and complying with the "25 years” mitigation regulation. The deorbiting performances of chemical and electrical propulsion are analyzed through a MATLAB code which integrates orbital perturbations such as gravitational acceleration, atmospheric drag and rocket engine/motor thrust. Additionally, the research is placed within a body of similar papers concerned with deorbiting by means of propulsion, by performing a state of the art study.