Validation of simulation of space net deployment phase with parabolic flight experiment data

A proposed solution to capture large debris is tether nets. This paper validates a simulator for the deployment of a net in space, implemented with the multibody dynamics simulation tool Vortex Dynamics. The dynamics of the simulated net, modeled with a lumped parameter approach, is compared to data taken during a parabolic flight experiment. Results show good agreement between the trajectory of the net in the experiment and in the simulation, when residual gravitational and Coriolis acceleration are accounted for. These results imply that the simulator can be confidently used to study the deployment dynamics of nets in space.