Non-coplanar rendezvous in near-circular orbit with the use a low thrust engine

Abstract

Presented method allows one to calculate the of maneuvers performed on several turns using a low-thrust engine. These maneuvers ensure the flight of an active spacecraft within a given area of the target space object. The flight is carried out in the vicinity of a circular orbit. Simplified mathematical models of motion are used to solve this problem. The influence of the non-centrality of the gravitational field and atmosphere is not taken into account in the calculations. The process of determining the parameters of the maneuvers is divided into several stages: in the first and third stages, the parameters of the impulse transfer and the transfer carried out by the low-thrust engine are calculated using analytical methods. In the second stage, the distribution of maneuvering between turns, ensuring a successful solution to the meeting problem, is determined by changing one variable. This method is characterized by its simplicity and high reliability in determining the parameters of maneuvers, which makes it applicable on board a spacecraft. As part of the study, an analysis of the dependence of the total characteristic velocity of solving the meeting problem on the amount of engine thrust was also carried out. The maneuver parameters can be refined using an iterative procedure to take into account the main disturbances.

Keywords

• spacecraft
• near-circular orbit
• velocity impulse
• calculation of maneuver parameters
• space object
• low thrust engine