Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

Orbital control strategy for a CubeSat satellite equipped with a solar sail for Earth-Mars communications during solar conjunctions

Leonor Cui Domingo Centeno, Ariadna Farrés

Abstract

This paper presents a mission concept that enables Earth-Mars communications resistant to periods of solar conjunction by using CubeSat satellites equipped with a solar sail. The dynamics of the satellite is modeled separately in the respective Earth-Sun and Mars-Sun Restricted Three Body Problem (RTBP), modified to include the solar radiation pressure effect exerted on the sail. Due to the non-linearities presented on this model, we numerically determine the location of the non-eclipsed equilibrium points parameterized by the sail orientation through a continuation method. These are the points where two CubeSat nanosatellites equipped with a solar sail could be placed. The instability of these equilibrium points makes it necessary to implement a control strategy to keep the satellite's trajectory close to equilibrium by constantly changing the orientation of the sail. To prove the robustness of the strategy, some numerical simulations have been performed for a given period of mission.

Orbital control strategy for a CubeSat satellite equipped with a solar sail for Earth-Mars communications during solar conjunctions

Abstract

This paper presents a mission concept that enables Earth-Mars communications resistant to periods of solar conjunction by using CubeSat satellites equipped with a solar sail. The dynamics of the satellite is modeled separately in the respective Earth-Sun and Mars-Sun Restricted Three Body Problem (RTBP), modified to include the solar radiation pressure effect exerted on the sail. Due to the non-linearities presented on this model, we numerically determine the location of the non-eclipsed equilibrium points parameterized by the sail orientation through a continuation method. These are the points where two CubeSat nanosatellites equipped with a solar sail could be placed. The instability of these equilibrium points makes it necessary to implement a control strategy to keep the satellite's trajectory close to equilibrium by constantly changing the orientation of the sail. To prove the robustness of the strategy, some numerical simulations have been performed for a given period of mission.
Paper Structure (16 sections, 36 equations, 15 figures, 4 tables)

This paper contains 16 sections, 36 equations, 15 figures, 4 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Solar radiation pressure
  3. solar sail acceleration
  4. Characteristic acceleration of a solar sail
  5. Dynamical model for a solar sail
  6. Equilibrium points of the equations of motion
  7. Solar sail oriented perpendicular to the solar line
  8. Solar sail arbitrarily oriented to the solar line
  9. Continuation method
  10. Criteria for selection of non-eclipsed points
  11. Control strategy for station-keeping around equilibria
  12. Conditions for the control strategy
  13. Determination of the new sail orientation
  14. Mission simulations
  15. Conclusions
  16. ...and 1 more sections

Figures (15)

  • Figure 1: Solar sail orientation parameters in the reference frame $\lbrace \boldsymbol{r_s}, \boldsymbol{p}, \boldsymbol{q} \rbrace$
  • Figure 2: Representation of the three bodies in the rotating reference frame. (Not to scale)
  • Figure 3: Families of equilibrium points centered on planets for xy plane
  • Figure 4: Families of equilibrium points centered on planets for xz plane
  • Figure 5: Non-existence regions of equilibrium points
  • ...and 10 more figures