Comparison between new impact test results and the NASA standard breakup model

This paper summarizes two new satellite impact tests. The objective of the tests was to investigate the outcome of low- and hyper- velocity impacts on two identical target satellites and to compare the analyzed results of fragments from those two impact tests with the NASA standard Breakup Model. The targets were cubed micro satellites (150×150×150 mm, 740-gram in mass) developed in Kyushu University. The low-velocity impact experiment was performed at an impact velocity of 1.45 km/s using the projectile made of aluminum alloy (solid sphere, 30 mm in diameter, 39.2-gram in mass). The hyper-velocity was performed at an impact velocity of 4.44 km/s using the projectile made of aluminum alloy (solid sphere, 14 mm in diameter, mass of 4.0-gram in mass). Those two impact experiments were performed by the two-stage light gas gun in Kyushu Institute of Technology. The ratios of impact energy to target mass for those two impacts were approximately the same, and both target satellites were completely fragmented. Approximately 3,000 fragments from each impact experiments were collected, each 1,500 fragments were measured size and mass and analyzed based on the analytic method used in the NASA standard breakup model. The analyzed results and comparisons with the NASA standard breakup model and the difference in target property between low- and hyper-velocity impacts will be presented in this paper.