Development of Novel Orbital Debris Protection Systems

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Astronautics & Space Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 255

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Interests: orbital debris; spacecraft protection; impact mechanics; fracture mechanics; nanomechanics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Orbital debris presents a serious threat to active satellites. Due to the extremely high impact velocities involved, even a single collision can be detrimental to a spacecraft's functional systems and subsystems. Since the launch of the first Sputnik in 1957, the accumulation of space debris in low Earth orbit (LEO) has steadily increased, raising the risk of impacts with larger orbital debris particles and necessitating enhanced protection for present and future spacecraft. The rapid development of new materials and numerical simulation techniques provides new opportunities for advanced protection systems that can address the worsening orbital debris situation. This Special Issue aims to highlight the development of novel orbital debris protection systems for space missions. Original contributions are invited to address topics on effective protective measures for spacecraft to withstand hypervelocity impacts from orbital debris, including, but not limited to, concepts; design solutions; and physical and numerical hypervelocity impact testing, analysis, and implementation for specific missions.

Dr. Igor Telichev
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD)
  • hypervelocity impact testing and modelling
  • MMOD protection
  • shields
  • bumpers

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 3096 KiB  
Article
Towards Accountability: A Primer on the Space Debris Problem and an Overview of the Legal Issues Surrounding It
by William Schonberg
Aerospace 2025, 12(7), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12070609 (registering DOI) - 6 Jul 2025
Abstract
Since 1957, the near-Earth population of trackable space objects has grown in number to over 36,000. Of these 36,000+ trackable objects now in low Earth orbit, just a few thousand are working spacecraft. The rest are Earth-orbiting objects which are no longer operational [...] Read more.
Since 1957, the near-Earth population of trackable space objects has grown in number to over 36,000. Of these 36,000+ trackable objects now in low Earth orbit, just a few thousand are working spacecraft. The rest are Earth-orbiting objects which are no longer operational and are considered to be space junk. Because this junk can no longer receive maneuvering commands from its Earth-based owners, the survivability of other spacecraft traveling through or operating in Earth orbit can be jeopardized by the impacts of any number of pieces of this space junk, whose origins can usually be traced back to defunct satellites. As a result, a major design parameter for Earth-orbiting spacecraft is the possibility of such high-speed impacts and the damage they can cause. Furthermore, several private companies are now launching several thousand spacecraft into Earth orbit, many of which are satellites built for communication purposes. Other satellites have been launched to expand the reach of the World Wide Web and to provide better tools for disaster management. Two questions quickly become evident, namely, what is the beneficial purpose of these large satellite constellations, and what are some of the deleterious consequences of their proliferation? Numerous topics related to space debris will be discussed in this paper, including issues in space law that concern the growing problem of orbital debris. In the end, several areas of concern will be noted that are vital to the continuing presence of humans in near-Earth space and must be addressed as the near-Earth orbital environment becomes more congested and space traffic management becomes more difficult. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Novel Orbital Debris Protection Systems)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop