Dynamics, Stability, and Control of Displaced Non-Keplerian Orbits

Abstract

The dynamics, stability, and control of a large family of non-Keplerian orbits are investigated and mission applications are discussed. The orbits are generated by seeking equilibrium solutions to the two-body problem in a rotating frame of reference with an additional thrust-induced acceleration. Viewed from an inertial frame of reference, displaced circular orbits are obtained. Three main families of orbits are presented, and their local stability characteristics are investigated. Although it is found that there are unstable subfamilies of orbits, it is also shown that these orbits are controllable using linear state feedback. Impulse control is also investigated as a means of generating displaced orbits and is compared to continuous thrust control. It is demonstrated that these non-Keplerian orbits can be patched together to provide large additional families of orbits.