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Tethered systems are new and exciting means for various applications, such as the re-entry of small payloads from the space station. Due to payload mass constraints of the launch vehicle, the mass of the tethered system should be minimised. Therefore, fibres are the choice for tether materials. The probability of a severe impact into the tether is very high due its large surface area despite its small diameter. Hence, the risk of an impact of a micrometeoroid or a space debris particle cutting the tether should be investigated prior to flight. This work reports first observations of hypervelocity impact experiments on three different braided materials used for tether applications. The tether samples — Dyneema, Kevlar and Spectra — were tested using the plasma drag accelerator (PDA) facility of the Fachgebiet Raumfahrttechnik (LRT), Technische Universitat Munchen (TUM). An overview of the morphology of such impacts is presented. The extent of damage is compared to other materials commonly found on spacecraft. A risk assessment of an impact cutting the tether with current meteoroid and debris models and data from LDEF, Eureca and HST solar arrays, is also given. |
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