Algorithm of Relative Lambert Transfer Based on Relative Orbital Elements

What is it about?

As one of the most advanced satellite technologies, formation flying is expected to be widely applied in Earth observations, on-orbit services, large-scale virtual space structures, and space explorations. To fulfill these formation missions, the satellite should maneuver to its specific position after launch, fly within constrained geometry under perturbations, and switch to a new configuration when the mission requires. The initialization, maintenance, and reconfiguration of the formation missions essentially involve the relative position transfer of the satellites in the formation. This paper provides a solution to the two-point boundary value problem for relative motion, analyzes the solution singularities, and designs the relative Lambert transfer strategy based on the solution.

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