Short and long-term reconstruction of in-orbit fragmentation events

Abstract

Abstract. Over the past decade, the number of space debris has steadily increased. Consequently, the risk of collision between debris and active satellites has also increased, threatening the safety of space operations. Therefore, it is crucial to characterise fragments as soon as possible after their formation, to gather information about the fragmentation event which has generated them. In this context, the PUZZLE software has been developed at Politecnico di Milano to reconstruct past in-orbit breakups. This research aims at improving the current routine to obtain more accurate results and at optimising it for the analysis of fragmentations in the GEO and MEO regions.