Guidance and control for satellite proximity operations

Abstract

Purpose – In this paper, the development of relative guidance and control algorithms for proximity operations to satellite in elliptical orbit are presented. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The process of autonomous proximity is divided into three phases: proximity manoeuvre, flyaround manoeuvre, and hovering manoeuvre. The characteristics of the three phases are analyzed. Different guidance algorithms are based on using the analytical closed-form solution of the Tschauner-Hempel (TH) equations that is completely explicit in time. Lastly, the linear quadratic regulators control algorithm based on the linearized TH equations is developed to minimize the initial state errors in the last phase. Findings – This paper defines three phases in the satellite proximity operations and develops the guidance and control algorithms. Then, the relative guidance and control algorithms are illustrated through different numerical examples. And the results demonstrate the effectiveness...