A Study of Properties of Relative Orbits of Formation Flying Spacecraft
- Paper number
IAC-06-C1.P.5.04
- Author
Dr. Balaji Shankar Kumar, Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity, Germany
- Year
2006
- Abstract
The main objective of this paper is to study the properties of relative orbits of Formation flying spacecraft using the Orbital Element method developed by Balaji and Tatnall [1]. Orbital Element Method is an non-linear analytical method that expresses the relative coordinates as a function of the orbital elements of the spacecraft. This paper uses the above method to study the evolution of relative motion of spacecraft in formation as a result of radial, along-track and cross-track separation distances. The paper will also present a method to study the result of a velocity impulse in an arbitrary direction on the relative motion using the Orbital element method. The usefulness of this method is that it directly links the design parameters like the size and shape of the relative orbit with the orbital properties of the spacecraft. Moreover the dynamics of the relative motion in the rotating frame of reference can be easily reconstructed from the equations of relative coordinates for the simpler cases and this has been derived here. [1]. S.K. Balaji, A.R. Tatnall 'Precise Modelling of Relative Trajectory for Formation Flying Spacecraft. 54th International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Germany, September 2003
- Abstract document