Numerical Simulation of Hypervelocity Meteoroid Impacts on Multi-Layer Insulation for Micro-spacecraft

Abstract

To reduce hypervelocity impact damages from micro-debris and meteoroids, some spacecraft have been equipped with multi-layered bumpers. However, due to rapidly growing number of micro-spacecraft in both Earth orbit and interplanetary space, their small size and lightweight are under severe resource constraints; they are mostly operated without dedicated bumpers against impact protection. If Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) which covers outers of most spacecraft for thermal control can protect against such hypervelocity impacts, it may effectively ensure the safety of micro-spacecraft that are difficult to install dedicated bumpers. In this study, four existing MLI configurations were selected from previous studies, and the effects on each MLI configuration against impacts by particles simulating micrometeoroids were investigated by using numerical simulation in the mass and velocity ranges that cannot be tested on the ground.