Hygieia: Modular CubeSat Swarm Architecture for Active Debris Removal in LEO

The rise in space activity, ranging from suborbital launches to missions into deep space, has increased the density of debris in Earth's orbit. Accumulation of orbital debris like defunct satellites, and rocket fragments, poses a serious threat to future operations in space, and pose damage to our biosphere from falling debris. This paper investigates a vehicle-based approach to space debris management and proposes a modular design for orbital debris removal systems. The hypothesis postulates that a semi-autonomous vehicle named Hygieia, with modular scalability, can provide a solution to active debris removal (ADR) in low earth orbit (LEO). Data from NASA and the ESA along with scientific journals were utilised to design and validate the performance of the vehicle. It concludes that modular designs like Hygieia, with international collaboration, suggest a solution is feasible and necessary for sustaining our orbital environment.