Multicriteria comparison among several mitigation strategies for dangerous near-Earth objects

In this paper, a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of different deviation methods for near-Earth objects is presented. Specifically, a solar collector, nuclear interceptor, kinetic impactor, low-thrust propulsion, mass driver, and gravity tug are modeled and compared. For each method, a mathematical model is developed to compute the achievable deviation. A multicriteria optimization method is then used to construct the set of Pareto-optimal solutions, minimizing the mass of the spacecraft at departure from the Earth and the warning time (i.e., the time from launch to the foreseen impact of the asteroid with the Earth), while maximizing the deviation. A dominance criterion is defined and used to compare all of the Pareto sets for all of the various mitigation strategies. Finally, a technology readiness level factor is associated with each strategy to estimate the required technological development.