Rendezvous Maneuvers of Multiple Spacecraft Using Differential Drag Under J2 Perturbation
Authors
Bevilacqua, R.
Romano, M.
Subjects
Advisors
Date of Issue
2008
Date
November – December 2008
Publisher
Language
Abstract
In this work, the residual atmospheric drag is exploited to perform rendezvous maneuvers among multiple
spacecraft in low Earth orbits. These maneuvers are required, for instance, for autonomous on-orbit assembly. By
varying the level of aerodynamic drag of each spacecraft, relative differential accelerations are generated among the
spacecraft of the group and therefore their relative orbits are controlled. Each of the spacecraft is assumed to include
a drag plate, which can be actively opened or closed, to vary the atmospheric drag. The recently developed
Schweighart–Sedwick model is used to describe the relative dynamics of different spacecraft with respect to a
circular orbit with the inclusion of J2 effects. Furthermore, the natural relative dynamics of each chaser with respect
to the target is decoupled into a secular motion and a periodic oscillation. In particular, the following two-phase
control method is proposed. First, the secular motion of each chaser is controlled via differential drag in order for the
spacecraft to sequentially move from an arbitrary initial condition to a closed stable relative orbit around the target
spacecraft. After the relative orbit stabilization, a relative eccentricity control is applied to each spacecraft to zero-out
the semi-axis of the relative orbit around the target and to achieve the rendezvous condition. The control algorithm
considers mutual constraints among the values of differential drag that the different spacecraft can experience.
Potential collisions are avoided by changing the maneuvering initial time. The main advantage of the proposed
technique is that it enables a fleet of spacecraft to rendezvous without propellant expenditure. Furthermore, no
numerical optimization is needed, because the control policy is based on closed-form analytical solutions. The
proposed technique was validated via numerical simulations.
Type
Article
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Mechanical and Astronautical Engineering
Organization
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NPS Report Number
Sponsors
This research was partially supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. This research was performed while R. Bevilacqua was holding a National Research Council Research Associateship Award at the Spacecraft Robotics Laboratory of the Naval Postgraduate School.
Funder
Format
Citation
Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 31, No. 6, November - December 2008
Distribution Statement
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.