Abstract
A common practice in the field of differential lift and drag controlled satellite formation flight is to analytically design maneuver trajectories using linearized relative motion models and the constant density assumption. However, the state-of-the-art algorithms inevitably fail if the initial condition of the final control phase exceeds an orbit and spacecraft-dependent range, the so-called feasibility range. This article presents enhanced maneuver algorithms for the third (and final) control phase which ensure the overall maneuver success independent of the initial conditions. Thereby, all maneuvers which have previously been categorized as infeasible due to algorithm limitations are rendered feasible. An individual algorithm is presented for both possible control options of the final phase, namely differential lift or drag. In addition, a methodology to precisely determine the feasibility range without the need of computational expensive Monte Carlo simulations is presented. This allows fast and precise assessments of possible influences of boundary conditions, such as the orbital inclination or the maneuver altitude, on the feasibility range.
Highlights
The rising deployment of multiple small satellites flying in formation rather than one large satellite offers benefits such as increased flexibility, reliability and efficiency of future satellite missions
A promising alternative to this system is the exploitation of the residual atmosphere to create and maintain the satellite formation via differential aerodynamic forces
The foundation for the development of these algorithms was laid by Leonard, who proposed using differential drag for the in-plane relative motion control in her master thesis published in 1986 [9, 10]
Summary
The rising deployment of multiple small satellites flying in formation rather than one large satellite offers benefits such as increased flexibility, reliability and efficiency of future satellite missions This concept follows the ongoing change in the space industry, resulting in increased launch cycles and decreasing transport prices, giving it the potential to become a state-of-the-art technology. A promising alternative to this system is the exploitation of the residual atmosphere to create and maintain the satellite formation via differential aerodynamic forces (see Fig. 1 for a conceptual visualization) This methodology offers the unique possibility to take advantage of the benefits of both, distributed satellite systems [1] and very low earth orbits (VLEO) [2], without the. A major goal is the development and enhancement of simplified rendezvous maneuver algorithms, which are fast and computationally inexpensive and can be applied in Monte Carlo simulations
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