Computational Degradation Analysis of Low Earth Orbit and Very Low Earth Orbit Spacecraft Structures due to Interaction with Atomic Oxygen

Abstract Low Earth orbit (LEO) presents a challenging environment for spacecraft, with factors such as atomic oxygen (AO), solar flux variations, and space debris contributing to material degradation while the ionosphere’s charged particle can cause surface charging affecting electrical systems. AO, the most abundant species in LEO, is particularly reactive, causing significant erosion of organic polymer-based materials and impairing mechanical, thermal, and optical properties. This study aims to evaluate the erosive effects of AO on a typical spacecraft material using a numerical model based on the Finnie framework. The erosion phenomenon will be simulated and its dynamics evaluated for a given mission profile. Results from a one-year simulation reveal erosion depths and their implications for material performance and mission success. The plots show that the magnitude of the erosion depth is comparable to that analyzed in other works. This makes the tool reliable for evaluating materials to be used at a preliminary design stage. Future work will focus on testing and comparing erosion model frameworks. This will give us an understanding of which one is the best fit to the physics of the phenomenon, particularly from the particle assumption point of view.