Navigation Solution to Maneuver a Spacecraft Relative to a Sphere Centered on a Cooperative Satellite

A differential correction algorithm is presented to deliver an impulsive maneuver to a satellite to place it within a sphere, with a user defined radius, centered around a non-maneuvering satellite within a constrained time. The differential correction algorithm develops and utilizes the State Trans...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta astronautica 2014-12, Vol.105 (1), p.230-241
Main Authors: Leigh, Abraham M, Black, Jonathan T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Differential equations
Empirical analysis
Maneuvers
Optimization
Orbits
Satellites
Spacecraft
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Summary:A differential correction algorithm is presented to deliver an impulsive maneuver to a satellite to place it within a sphere, with a user defined radius, centered around a non-maneuvering satellite within a constrained time. The differential correction algorithm develops and utilizes the State Transition Matrix along with the Equations of Motion and multiple satellite's state information to determine the optimum trajectory to achieve the desired results. The results from the differential correction algorithm are very accurate for prograde orbits, as presented. The results allow for orbit design trade-offs, including satellites' initial inclinations, semi-major axes, as well as the ballistic coefficients. The results also provide an empirical method to determine the optimum solution for the provided problem. Understanding that the minimum fuel solution lies with a semi-major axis ratio of 1, a very accurate empirical approximation is presented for semi-major axis ratio values less than and greater than 1. This work ultimately provides the generalized framework for applying the algorithm to a unique user defined maneuvering spacecraft scenario.
ISSN:0094-5765
DOI:10.1016/j.actaastro.2014.09.005