Propellant-free Spacecraft Relative Maneuvering via Atmospheric Differential Drag

Abstract

At low Earth orbits (LEO), a differential in the drag acceleration between spacecraft can be used to control their relative motion. This differential allows for a propellant-free method for performing relative maneuvers, which can reduce the costs of spacecraft formations. In this project atmospheric differential drag (DD) based nonlinear controllers are presented that can be used for planar relative maneuvers of two spacecraft. Furthermore, the atmospheric density varies in time and in space as the spacecraft travel along their orbits. In this project a localized density predictor based on Neural Networks is created and tested in its forecasting potential.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 06, 2015
Accession Number
AD1013317

Entities

People

  • Kurt Anderson
  • Riccardo Bevilacqua

Organizations

  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheric Density
  • Data Sets
  • Delphi Method
  • Equations
  • Guidance
  • Lyapunov Functions
  • Maneuvers
  • Neural Networks
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Nonlinear Systems
  • Orbits
  • Propellants
  • Relative Motion
  • Rendezvous
  • Space Systems
  • Spacecraft
  • Trajectories

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Neural Network Machine Learning.
  • Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.
  • Space/Atmospheric Physics.

Technology Areas

  • AI & ML
  • AI & ML - Autonomous Systems
  • AI & ML - Bayesian Inference
  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris
  • Space - Spacecraft Maneuvers