Fast (3/4 orbit) deployment of a tethered satellite pair to the local vertical
Abstract
This paper presents a new family of deployment trajectories for a pair of tethered satellites. Deployment begins in orbit with the two satellites in physical contact, and progresses to the final state with the tethered pair stabilized along the local vertical. The entire deployment is accomplished in less than one orbit, using only gravity gradient to generate the required angular rate of the deployed system. These fast deployment trajectories are achievable with very crude deployment hardware. The paper presents simulations of the autonomous deployment of an existing sounding rocket plasma diagnostics payload, using only a single cold gas attitude control system for each sub-satellite. No complex tether controller is required. Tether deployment velocity is commanded and maintained against friction by thruster firing.
- Publication:
-
Tethers in Space
- Pub Date:
- September 1986
- Bibcode:
- 1986tesp.nasa.....V
- Keywords:
-
- Deployment;
- Tethered Satellites;
- Equations Of Motion;
- Libration;
- Mathematical Models;
- Payload Delivery (Sts);
- Satellite Attitude Control;
- Simulation;
- Trajectory Optimization;
- Astrodynamics