Characterization of Solar-sail Maneuvering Capabilities in a High-fidelity Near-Earth Dynamical Environment

Abstract

Solar sailing is a propulsion method that uses solar radiation pressure (SRP) as main source of thrust. However, in close proximity of the Earth, SRP is not the only acceleration governing the sailcraft dynamics, as atmospheric drag and the Earth’s planetary radiation pressure (PRP) acceleration are also present. Because of their significant magnitudes relative to the SRP acceleration, these accelerations could potentially be exploited by the sail to maneuver more effectively around the Earth. Nevertheless, the majority of research conducted on Earth-bound solar sailing to date either neglects these accelerations or treats them as uncontrollable sources of perturbation. This hinders accurate prediction of the sailcraft’s maneuvering capabilities and, accordingly, the accurate design of future solar-sail missions. In view of this, this paper presents a trajectory optimization method developed in conjunction with a high-fidelity model of the near-Earth dynamical environment, used to comprehensively characterize the maneuvering capabilities of solar sails in proximity of the Earth. The optimization algorithm is designed to change any orbital element in a locally optimal manner, while accounting for and optimally controlling the SRP, PRP, and aerodynamic accelerations. Following its introduction, the algorithm is exploited to characterize the maneuverability of Earth-bound solar sails, taking NASA’s recently-launched ACS3 solar-sail mission as a baseline. Specifically, different sensitivity analyses are conducted to determine ACS3’s orbit-raising and inclination-changing capabilities for a large set of orbits, times of the year, solar activities, and sailcraft characteristics. The results of this study not only enhance the understanding of ACS3’s performance but also provide valuable insights for the mission design of future Earth-bound solar-sail missions for a variety of mission applications, ranging from active-debris removal and collision avoidance, to orbit maintenance and in-orbit servicing.