Lunar Satellite Formation Keeping Using Differential Solar Radiation Pressure

What is it about?

A controller for keeping a lunar formation bounded based on differential solar radiation force has been developed and validated numerically. The mean orbital elements have been adopted for capturing the secular drift of the relative motion and the long-term effect of the differential solar radiation pressure. Analytical expressions for the averaged relative distance and relative velocity are derived. Utilizing a series expansion, it is found that the drift in the along-track direction is the largest, and the differential mean semimajor axis is one of the main responsible factors. The differential solar radiation pressure mainly changes the differential semimajor axis. A controller has been designed to adjust the differential semimajor axis according to the trend of the distance in the along-track direction, and the stability of this controller has been proven. This mean-orbital-elements-based controller has utilized a nonlinear dynamical model and captured the long-term effects of orbital perturbations. Hence, the new controller is suitable for long missions, and has extensive potential applications. The simulation, conducted on a lunar formation mission in large-eccentricity orbits, has shown that the controller can arrest the relative drift and keep the relative motion bounded using a few days of maneuvering over several years.

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