An Electric Propulsion Configured Small Halo Orbit Around L2

Paper number

IAC-05-C1.6.05

Author

Dr. Junichiro Kawaguchi, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ISAS, Japan

Year

2005

Abstract

Lagrange point in Sun-Earth system, L1 or L2 is well known for an equilibrium point, where appropriate initial conditions can make the trajectories not divergent but vibrational. Such trajectories, however, generally do not close and they result in Lissajous orbits. The biggest difficulty in using Lissajous orbits lies in the shadow of the Earth and is not suitable for solar powered spacecraft. In order to circumvent this drawback, sometimes Halo orbits are taken for astronomy satellites. But, Halo orbits, in turn, have some drawbacks that the geometry with respect to the Sun and the Earth is significantly altering and the spacecraft design cannot assume the Sun and the Earth directions are frozen from the spacecraft on it. 

Avoiding the shadow in Lissajous orbit has been studied by many researchers. Those, most of all, apply impulsive correction delta-Vs to avoid the shadow zone. And little investigation has looked at the propulsion system and the attitude orientation in depth. 

This paper presents a very practical station keeping strategy that keeps the thrust magnitude and also maintains a uniform rotation with the thrust direction well aligned toward the radial direction from the Sun-Earth line. This strategy makes the space docks/shipyards and observatories very realistic, since the aperture or dock ports direction is open toward the radial direction, along which the thrust direction coincides with. 

The 21st century will be the era of solar system cruise voyage with the completely reusable spaceships operated to/from the Deep Space Ports that may be constructed around L2 point. The port may have infrastructures such as observatories and so on. The station keeping strategy developed here will be an answer to the questions of how the dock is anchored at the L2 point without shadow. This paper presents a solution to it.

Abstract document

IAC-05-C1.6.05.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-05-C1.6.05.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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