Feasibility Study on Aero-Breaking Combined with Electro-Dynamic Tether
- Paper number
IAC-07-E2.1.04
- Author
Mr. Daisuke Yamashita, Kyushu University, Japan
- Year
2007
- Abstract
Recently, Jovian exploration project has been under way in Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Kyushu University. One of the biggest problems of this project is to need great deal of propellants for the spacecraft to arrive in the Jovian orbit. Therefore, establishment of a new orbital transfer method to achieve orbital transfer without using propellant is expected. This paper proposes the technique to transfer the tethered spacecraft using Electro-Dynamic Tether (EDT) and the atmospheric drag. It is difficult to clarify the technological opportunity around the planets other than Earth, so aero-braking of the spacecraft orbiting around the Earth is the object of this study. The objective tethered spacecrafts is QTEX being developed mainly in Space Systems Dynamics Laboratory in Kyushu University. In the mathematical approach the tether satellite is modeled as two point masses connected by a rigid rod with the mass and the geomagnetic field model and the plasma model around the Earth are modeled by International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) 2005 model and International Reference Ionosphere 2001 respectively. The orbital transfer using this technique is demonstrated and the result from this technique is discussed.
- Abstract document