DRAMA

ESA Space Debris User Portal

"The aim of the DRAMA tool suite as a whole is to enable space programs to assess their compliance with international requirements (e.g. ISO-24113) related to space debris, providing current mitigation measures that represent best practice. This suite accompanies ESA's Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines Handbook, which provides the necessary support and processes for the verification of these requirements. The DRAMA tool suite supports this aim by providing a software model that enables an assessment of mitigation strategies for the operational and disposal phases of a mission, including the debris risk posed to the mission and the effectiveness of an end-of-life strategy."

Each capability is achieved by the various tools :

• ARES – Assessment of Risk Event Statistics: To consider the possible requirements for collision avoidance manoeuvres during a mission.
• MIDAS – MASTER (-based) Impact Flux and Damage Assessment Software: To model the collision flux and damage statistics for a mission.
• CROC – Cross Section of Complex Bodies: To compute the cross-section of a self-designed complex body.
• OSCAR – Orbital SpaceCraft Active Removal: To compute the orbital lifetime and assess post-mission disposal strategies.
• SARA – Re-entry Survival and Risk Analysis: Combines two tools for the re-entry (SESAM) and risk (SERAM) analysis.
  • SESAM – Spacecraft Entry Survival Analysis Module: To model the re-entry of a space system into the Earth's atmosphere.
  • SERAM – Spacecraft Entry Risk Analysis Module: To assess the risk on-ground of objects surviving re-entry.

For a simple mission such as the PEAKSAT cubesat that has no propulsion systems, we are mainly interested on the deorbit time - How long will the satellite stay in orbit after its launch before getting burned by the Earth's atmosphere? Usually we need this time to be relatively small in order to comply with the debris policies that aim to regulate the accumulation of debris in space. Therefore we will be focusing on the OSCAR tool of DRAMA.

To download the software visit this page. Here you can also find documentation as well as case studies/tutorials provided by ESA. An easy starting point is the first case study Calliope where you can find a hands on guide on how to set up a simple satellite, compute its tumbling cross section using the CROC tool, as well as its deorbit time using the OSCAR tool. The rest of the tutorial (ex. MIDAS) will not be of interest for the PEAKSAT mission.