Dynamic behavior of sail tower SPS based on the symplectic Runge-Kutta method

Abstract

Space-based solar power as a promising approach to achieve clean and renewable energy had received extensive attention during the last several decades. The dynamics and stability of system of solar power satellite (SPS) in orbit were investigated through the application of Hamilton theory. First, the simplified structure model of sail tower SPS was built, and dynamic governing equation of simplified model of sail tower SPS in the Hamilton form were derived by introducing the concepts of generalized coordinates and generalized momentums and implementing variation method. Then, by numerically solving the equation through the application of the symplectic Runge-Kutta method and comparing the results with the traditional Runge-Kutta method, numerical examples demonstrated that the results achieved by the symplectic Runge-Kutta method indicated the energy preservation as well as the vibrational amplitude of the tether. Finally, the equilibrium points was calculated based on mechanical balance principle. Besides, the stability of the considered system at the equilibrium points was analyzed via numerical examples.