Reusable flexible space debris capturing and despinning mechanism and use method

By using a flexible space debris capture and despinning mechanism, the problems of reusability, capture tolerance, and despinning when spacecraft capture space debris have been solved, achieving low-cost and efficient space debris capture and transfer.

CN121929347APending Publication Date: 2026-04-28BEIJING INST OF SPACECRAFT SYST ENG
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
BEIJING INST OF SPACECRAFT SYST ENG
Filing Date
2026-01-30
Publication Date
2026-04-28

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing spacecraft have problems when capturing space debris, such as non-reusability, small capture tolerance, high cost, and difficulty in eliminating the relative motion between the target and the spacecraft. They are particularly difficult to effectively capture non-cooperative targets with irregular shapes, spin, or nutation.

Method used

A flexible space debris capture and despinning mechanism was designed, comprising a distributed drive hatch mechanism, an deployable support mechanism, and a flexible storage bag. The hatch opening and closing and the support structure deployment and retraction are achieved through an eight-bar linkage and steel wire rope drive. Combined with the despinning brush inside the flexible storage bag, the space debris can be repeatedly captured and despinned.

Benefits of technology

It enables the repeated capture of space debris, reduces the overall weight and capture cost of spacecraft, improves capture tolerance, and effectively slows down the spin motion of debris through despin brushes, reducing its impact on the attitude of spacecraft.

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Abstract

The invention discloses a reusable flexible space debris capturing and despinning mechanism which comprises an upper frame, a spring assembly, a lower frame, a retracting and releasing assembly, a flexible storage bag and a distributed driving hatch cover mechanism. The upper frame, the spring assembly and the lower frame are sequentially connected. An opening of the flexible storage bag is fixed to the upper frame, and the bottom of the flexible storage bag is fixed to the lower frame. The distributed driving hatch cover mechanism is fixedly mounted on the upper frame; the distributed driving hatch cover mechanism is provided with a capturing opening for space debris to enter; the folding and unfolding assembly is used for compressing or releasing the spring assembly to fold or unfold the flexible storage bag; the capturing opening is opened before capturing, the flexible storage bag is unfolded to swallow the space debris from the capturing opening during capturing, and the capturing opening is closed after capturing is completed. The invention further discloses a using method of the flexible space debris capturing and despinning mechanism capable of being repeatedly used, and the flexible space debris capturing and despinning mechanism capable of being repeatedly used can achieve repeatable and large-tolerance capturing of space debris so as to achieve the purpose of balancing the capturing cost and the capturing tolerance.
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