Analysis of micron size space debris impacts on materials: comparison of ground-based testing and in-flight results

Abstract A new experimental facility has been built in ESA-ESTEC to simulate orbital debris impacts. The facility uses a laser driven flyer plate technique to accelerate small aluminium particles to high velocities. The area of interest is the population of small sized debris objects (<700 μm) with impact velocities up to 10 kms-1. Impact damage has been observed on different types of thin foils, but fragmentation is very noticeable, both at impact and at the creation of the flyer. The size distribution seems random and velocities between 1 and 6 kms-1 have been established. Results from different types of targets are presented, including a new type of flyer plate target. The flyer plate method appears to be promising and the new targets show a limited fragmentation on each laser beam shot compared to the others.