Effects of satellite dimensions in the solar pressure formulation for formation flying

Abstract

In highly elliptical orbits, the solar pressure can perturb the motion of a constellation through the entire orbit because of the longer exposure of the satellites to the Sun. The TschaunerHempel equations for a perturbed motion will be used to explain the motion of a pair of satellites about the Earth in a highly elliptical orbit. In this set of equations, the solar pressure formulation will be written differently to determine how the satellite dimensions can affect the control effort to perform the drift correction. To maintain the separation distance constraints, the authors developed a hierarchical control scheme, in discrete format, that takes care of the perturbation effects of the Earth and the Sun. In summary, this article will show how the differences of the satellite dimensions in the solar pressure formulation can cause variations in the control effort.