Research on Auxiliary Effect of Lorentz Force for On-orbit Servicing of Spacecraft

Abstract

Background: On-orbit servicing of spacecraft is mainly aimed at repairing failed spacecraft, maintaining and upgrading normally operating spacecraft to extend their life in order to reduce the increase of space debris and maintain the space environment. Objective: In performing on-orbit servicing, the spacecraft typically requires continuous control force to hover for a long period of time in order to maintain a relatively stationary state towards the target. Methods: Considering the limited amount of fuel carried, the Lorentz force is introduced into onorbit servicing to assist spacecraft in hovering. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of using Lorentz force as spacecraft thrust, many related patents have been provided. Results: Firstly, the velocity of the spacecraft's orbital motion and the variation of the geomagnetic field were given, and the specific expression of the Lorentz force in the relative dynamics model of the spacecraft was deduced. When studying the auxiliary effect of Lorentz force, a critical angle was defined. The relation between the critical angle and the Lorentz force on the auxiliary effect of spacecraft hovering was analyzed through numerical examples. Conclusion: Furthermore, based on the influence of the charge-to-mass ratio on the critical angle, the variation law of the Lorentz force-assisted spacecraft hovering area with different charge-tomass ratios was derived.