Electromagnetic Manipulation Capability Analysis of Rotating Permanent Magnet Arrays for Space Debris Along-Orbit Removal

The space debris environment is deteriorating. The amount of space debris with an equivalent size between 1 and 10 cm is so large that it is difficult to observe and track, posing a significant threat to spacecraft. Most space debris is electrically conductive. Time-varying magnetic fields can induce eddy currents in conductors, generating induced force/torque. Based on this principle, several permanent magnets rotating at a constant speed are formed into an array appropriately, and the space debris is pulled into the collector by induced force to realize the space debris along-orbit automatic removal. This paper establishes a 6-DOF dynamics model of magnetic dipoles and solid conductive sphere debris, and the electromagnetic manipulation capability of two-dipole and four-dipole arrays is analyzed.