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Accessibility, stabilizability, and feedback control of continuous orbital transfer.
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. pgurfil@princeton.edu
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|June 29, 2004
Summary
This study presents a new low-thrust orbital transfer controller using orbital element feedback. The controller efficiently steers spacecraft between orbits, requiring less fuel than traditional methods for orbital maneuvers.
Area of Science:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Control Theory
- Astrodynamics
Background:
- Orbital transfers are crucial for space missions.
- Low-thrust propulsion offers fuel efficiency but presents control challenges.
- Existing methods often rely on impulsive maneuvers or complex trajectory planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel feedback control strategy for low-thrust orbital transfers.
- To analyze the controllability and stabilizability of orbital dynamics.
- To provide a fuel-efficient and analytically tractable solution for orbital maneuvers.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing Gauss variational equations (GVEs) for state-space modeling.
- Introducing and applying the concept of global accessibility for orbital dynamics.
- Deriving a nonlinear feedback controller based on accessibility results.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated global accessibility of the GVEs.
- Developed a closed-form, analytic nonlinear feedback controller.
- Simulated a low-thrust transfer between geosynchronous orbits, showing fuel savings compared to impulsive maneuvers.
- Proved the non-existence of a continuous closed-loop controller for parabolic escape trajectories.
Conclusions:
- The derived nonlinear feedback controller is effective for low-thrust orbital transfers.
- The controller offers fuel efficiency advantages over impulsive maneuvers.
- Complete transfer to a parabolic escape trajectory using continuous feedback is not feasible.