Related papers: Differential Drag Control Scheme for Large Constel…
We study the optimal control of an arbitrarily large constellation of small satellites operating in low Earth orbit. Simulating the lack of on-board propulsion, we limit our actuation to the use of differential drag maneuvers to make…
We present methodology and mission results from orbit determination of Planet Labs nanosatellites and differential-drag control of their relative motion. Orbit determination (OD) is required on Planet Labs satellites to accurately predict…
In this work, we achieve propellantless control of both cross-track and along-track separation of a satellite formation by manipulating atmospheric drag. Increasing the differential drag of one satellite with respect to another directly…
The growing interest in space activities has led to the emergence of new space operators and innovative mission concepts. Small satellites such as CubeSats reduce mission costs and are typically deployed in constellations or formation…
Satellite constellation missions, consisting of a large number of spacecraft, are increasingly being launched or planned. Such missions require novel control approaches, in particular for what concerns orbital phasing maneuvers. In this…
Operating Earth observing satellites requires efficient planning methods that coordinate activities of multiple spacecraft. The satellite task planning problem entails selecting actions that best satisfy mission objectives for autonomous…
Agile attitude maneuvering maximizes the utility of remote sensing satellite constellations. By taking into account a satellite's physical properties and its actuator specifications, we may leverage the full performance potential of the…
This paper presents a novel approach for robust periodic attitude control of satellites. Respecting the periodicity of the satellite dynamics in the synthesis allows to achieve constant performance and robustness requirements over the…
In this paper, a dynamic-programming approach to the coupled translational and rotational control of thruster-driven spacecraft is studied. To reduce the complexity of the problem, dynamic-programming-based optimal policies are calculated…
This paper presents a time-constrained model predictive control strategy for the six degree-of-freedom autonomous rendezvous, proximity, operations and docking problem between a controllable "deputy" satellite and an uncontrolled "chief"…
With the growing deployment of small satellites (such as CubeSats, Nanosats, Picosats, and Femtosats) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for targeted applications like imaging, communication, data storage, and rendezvous-docking mission, there is…
With the ever growing number of space debris in orbit, the need to prevent further space population is becoming more and more apparent. Refueling, servicing, inspection and deorbiting of spacecraft are some example missions that require…
Differential drag is a promising option to control the relative motion of distributed satellites in the Very Low Earth Orbit regime which are not equipped with dedicated thrusting devices. A major downside of the methodology, however, is…
This study presents autonomous guidance and control strategies for the purpose of reconfiguring close-range multi-satellite formations. The formation under consideration includes $N$ under-actuated deputy satellites and an uncontrolled…
The prevailing assumption holds that on-orbit servicing (OOS) of mega-constellations is infeasible due to prohibitive fuel consumption incurred by multiple rendezvous maneuvers across vast and dispersed satellite populations. To address…
TianQin is a dedicated geocentric mission for space-based gravitational wave (GW) detection. Among its core technologies, the drag-free and pointing control subsystem (DFPCS) - consisting of suspension, drag-free and pointing controls -…
Satellite constellation design requires optimizing orbital parameters across multiple satellites to maximize mission specific metrics. For many types of mission, it is desirable to maximize coverage and minimize revisit gaps over ground…
Utilizing differential atmospheric forces in the Very Low Earth Orbits (VLEO) regime for the control of the relative motion within a satellite formation is a promising option as any thrusting device has tremendous effects on the mission…
To address the need for robust positioning, navigation, and timing services in lunar environments, this paper proposes a novel onboard clock phase jump detection framework for satellite constellations using range measurements obtained from…
Fully re-orientable small spacecraft are now supported by commercial technologies, allowing them to point their instruments in any direction and capture images, with short notice. When combined with improved onboard processing, and…