Modeling, analysis, and experimental validation of electromagnetic detumbling for tumbling space targets

The uncontrolled tumbling of large space debris severely impedes their active removal. While electromagnetic detumbling presents a promising contactless solution, existing models often rely on idealized uniform magnetic fields, lacking integration with high-fidelity dynamics and experimental validation. This paper bridges this gap by establishing a comprehensive framework that seamlessly couples orbital and attitude dynamics with a practical electromagnetic model for real-world detumbling operations. Our key contribution is the derivation and experimental validation of a magnetic tensor-based force/torque model, extended to non-uniform fields via an effective factor correction. We provide analytical magnetic tensor formulas for typical debris geometries (spherical, cylindrical, and cubic shells). Ground experiments using a Helmholtz coil demonstrate remarkable agreement with theory, with errors below 1.4%. Furthermore, extensive parametric simulations reveal two critical, actionable insights for mission design: firstly, detumbling efficacy is independent of the initial angular velocity, enabling handling of ultra-high-speed tumblers; secondly, performance is highly sensitive to the relative pose (position and attitude) between the servicer and target. We demonstrate that an optimal pose configuration can overcome the inherent limitation of residual angular momentum, achieving near-complete stabilization. This work provides a validated model and essential guidance for the trajectory and controller design of future electromagnetic detumbling missions.