Propulsion Requirements for Controllable Satellites

TLDR

The study derives propulsion requirements for controllable satellite missions, evaluating high‑thrust chemical rockets and low‑thrust ion engines across rendezvous, orbit transfer, and maintenance scenarios to determine minimum fuel maneuvers and perturbation cancellation. A closed‑form analytic solution is obtained for the optimal low‑thrust transfer between inclined circular orbits of different radii. Authorship details provided.

Abstract

Propulsion requirements are determined for several controllable satellite missions. High thrust propulsion syslems such as chemical rockets and low thrust propulsion systems such as ion rockets are considered. Rendezvous missions are treated by determining minimum fuel maneuvers for small, simultaneous changes in the elements of quasi-circular orbits. Orbit transfer missions are treated by determining minimum fuel maneuvers for large changes in the elements of circular orbits. Orbit maintenance missions are treated by determining the propulsion necessary to cancel perturbations due to the atmosphere, the Earth's bulge, and the sun and moon. A closed-form analytic solution is found for the optimum low thrust transfer between inclined circular orbits of different radii. (auth)