ML
M.L. Leon -- Mir
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Solar sailing enables Earth-bound missions such as Active Debris Removal and satellite servicing. Yet, Low Earth Orbit orbital rendezvous remains unaddressed for solar sails. This maneuver presents significant challenges due to the sail's asymmetric control envelope, eclipse periods, and Earth's oblateness. To bridge this gap, this paper proposes a three-stage control architecture to achieve end-to-end orbital rendezvous by merging two Lyapunov feedback control laws: the Solar Sail Q-Law and the Ion-Engine Rendezvous Q-Law. To prevent algorithmic stagnation due to J2-induced oscillations, averaged orbital elements are used to match the target's orbit shape and orientation in stage 1 (orbit matching) and achieve phase synchronization in stage 2 (phase matching). Precise rendezvous is handled using osculating elements in stage 3. While the complete architecture is developed, the performance of stage 2 is evaluated in Sun-Synchronous Orbits ranging from sunlight perpendicular to the orbit (Dawn-Dusk) to in-plane illumination (Noon-Midnight). Results demonstrate that Time-of-Flight bifurcates based on initial geometry. When natural orbital drift assists phase matching (favorable geometries), the sail achieves transfer times comparable to ion engines with equivalent thrust. When the sail opposes natural drift (unfavorable regimes), asymmetric control induces Time-of-Flight penalties. Ultimately, phase matching is highly dependent on the solar geometry and initial phase offset.
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Solar sailing enables Earth-bound missions such as Active Debris Removal and satellite servicing. Yet, Low Earth Orbit orbital rendezvous remains unaddressed for solar sails. This maneuver presents significant challenges due to the sail's asymmetric control envelope, eclipse periods, and Earth's oblateness. To bridge this gap, this paper proposes a three-stage control architecture to achieve end-to-end orbital rendezvous by merging two Lyapunov feedback control laws: the Solar Sail Q-Law and the Ion-Engine Rendezvous Q-Law. To prevent algorithmic stagnation due to J2-induced oscillations, averaged orbital elements are used to match the target's orbit shape and orientation in stage 1 (orbit matching) and achieve phase synchronization in stage 2 (phase matching). Precise rendezvous is handled using osculating elements in stage 3. While the complete architecture is developed, the performance of stage 2 is evaluated in Sun-Synchronous Orbits ranging from sunlight perpendicular to the orbit (Dawn-Dusk) to in-plane illumination (Noon-Midnight). Results demonstrate that Time-of-Flight bifurcates based on initial geometry. When natural orbital drift assists phase matching (favorable geometries), the sail achieves transfer times comparable to ion engines with equivalent thrust. When the sail opposes natural drift (unfavorable regimes), asymmetric control induces Time-of-Flight penalties. Ultimately, phase matching is highly dependent on the solar geometry and initial phase offset.