The problem of moving a spacecraft with a solar sail between arbitrary points of the handrail constraint

Аuthors

Vaskova V. S.^*, Rodnikov A. V.

Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), 4, Volokolamskoe shosse, Moscow, А-80, GSP-3, 125993, Russia

*e-mail: vsvaskova@yndex.ru

Abstract

One of the energy-independent methods of a spacecraft (SC) equipped with the solar sail (SS) relocation along a tether with ends fixed to space stations moving along one heliocentric orbit, is studied. The SS is considered as a flat, imperfect surface that partly reflects and partly absorbs photons of sunlight and is used as a source of the spacecraft relative acceleration. The tether is assumed weightless, inextensible, perfectly flexible and tensioned, which allows us to consider it as a geometric constraint. In this case, the spacecraft motion in the orbital plane is carried out along an elliptical arc with foci at the points of the tether attachment. A law is constructed to control the inclination of the solar sail to the direction of the sun's rays, which allows the spacecraft to be moved in the minimum possible time between two arbitrary points of the described ellipse, more distant from the Sun than the stations. The motion of the spacecraft begins with zero relative velocity, up to a certain switching point, it continues with the maximum possible relative acceleration, then the fastest deceleration occurs and the spacecraft reaches the final point with zero relative velocity. A program code is described that allows calculating velocity, acceleration, and the tension force of the tether at any point of the spacecraft trajectory, as well as determining of the switching point location and the SC displacement duration depending on the eccentricity of the ellipse, the reflection coefficient of the SS, and the coordinates of the initial and final points of relocation.

Keywords:

solar sail, space tether system, heliocentric orbit, unilateral constraint, program code

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