Feasibility of performing space surveillance tasks with a proposed space-based optical architecture

Under ESA contract an industrial consortium including Aboa Space Research Oy (ASRO), the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB), and the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR), proposed the observation concept, developed a suitable sensor architecture, and assessed the performance of a space-based optical (SBO) telescope in 2005. The goal of the SBO study was to analyse how the existing knowledge gap in the space debris population in the millimetre and centimetre regime may be closed by means of a passive optical instrument. The SBO instrument was requested to provide statistical information on the space debris population in terms of number of objects and size distribution. The SBO instrument was considered to be a cost-efficient with 20 cm aperture and 6° field-of-view and having flexible integration requirements. It should be possible to integrate the SBO instrument easily as a secondary payload on satellites launched into low-Earth orbits (LEO), or into geostationary orbit (GEO). Thus the selected mission concept only allowed for fix-mounted telescopes, and the pointing direction could be requested freely. Since 2007 ESA focuses space surveillance and tracking activities in the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) preparatory program. Ground-based radars and optical telescopes are studied for the build-up and maintenance of a catalogue of objects. In this paper we analyse how the proposed SBO architecture could contribute to the space surveillance tasks survey and tracking. We assume that the SBO instrumentation is placed into a circular sun-synchronous orbit at 800 km altitude. We discuss the observation conditions of objects at higher altitude, and select an orbit close to the terminator plane. A pointing of the sensor orthogonal to the orbital plane with optimal elevation slightly in positive direction (0° and +5°) is found optimal for accessing the entire GEO regime within one day, implying a very good coverage of controlled objects in GEO, too. Simulations using ESA’s Program for Radar and Optical Observation Forecasting (PROOF) in the version 2005 and a GEO reference population extracted from DISCOS revealed that the proposed pointing scenario provides low phase angles together with low angular velocities of the objects crossing the field-of-view. Radiometric simulations show that the optimal exposure time is 1–2 s, and that spherical objects in GEO with a diameter of below 1 m can be detected. The GEO population can be covered under proper illumination nearly completely, but seasonal drops of the coverage are possible. Subsequent observations of objects are on average at least every 1.5 days, not exceeding 3 days at maximum. A single observation arc spans 3° to 5° on average. Using a simulation environment that connects PROOF to AIUB’s program system CelMech we verify the consistency of the initial orbit determination for five selected test objects on subsequent days as a function of realistic astrometric noise levels. The initial orbit determination is possible. We define requirements for a correlator process essential for catalogue build-up and maintenance. Each single observation should provide an astrometric accuracy of at least 1”–1.5” so that the initially determined orbits are consistent within a few hundred kilometres for the semi-major axis, 0.01 for the eccentricity, and 0.1° for the inclination.     

CubeSail: A low cost CubeSat based solar sail demonstration mission

CubeSail is a nano-solar sail mission based on the 3U CubeSat standard, which is currently being designed and built at the Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey. CubeSail will have a total mass of around 3 kg and will deploy a 5 × 5 m sail in low Earth orbit. The primary aim of the mission is to demonstrate the concept of solar sailing and end-of-life de-orbiting using the sail membrane as a drag-sail. The spacecraft will have a compact 3-axis stabilised attitude control system, which uses three magnetic torquers aligned with the spacecraft principle axis as well as a novel two-dimensional translation stage separating the spacecraft bus from the sail. CubeSail’s deployment mechanism consists of four novel booms and four-quadrant sail membranes. The proposed booms are made from tape-spring blades and will deploy the sail membrane from a 2U CubeSat standard structure. This paper presents a systems level overview of the CubeSat mission, focusing on the mission orbit and de-orbiting, in addition to the deployment, attitude control and the satellite bus.     

一种提高卫星相对轨道运动全物理仿真逼真度的新方法

现有的卫星控制系统全物理仿真很少对卫星绕地球的轨道运动进行模拟,即使在卫星间相对轨道运动的全物理仿真中也没有考虑地心引力差和惯性力项的存在,因此其逼真度受到了影响.提出一种在共面圆轨道近距离卫星相对运动全物理仿真中引入地心引力差和惯性力项的方法,提高了物理仿真实验的逼真度.     

编队卫星姿态的自适应协同控制

研究了无向信息交互条件下的多卫星姿态同步和跟踪问题,分别在模型参数精确已知和存在模型参数不确定性的情形下设计分散式协同控制算法。当模型参数精确已知时,基于滑动模态变量设计的协同控制力矩,实现了编队卫星姿态的同步机动,即保证编队卫星姿态的同步,并同时跟踪期望的时变参考姿态轨迹。当在轨卫星存在模型参数不确定性和常值未知扰动力矩时,提出了一种自适应协同控制律,仍能实现多卫星姿态的同步机动。基于Lyapunov-Krasovskii的分析表明,当星间链路存在任意未知的定常通讯时延时,本文设计的控制器有效。数值仿真算例验证了本文提出的控制算法。     

携带晃动燃料柔性航天器姿态机动中的同宿环分叉研究

本文研究了带液体晃动和柔性附件的耦合航天器系统在液体燃料耗散和柔性附件扭转振动的作用下,经历从最小惯量轴到最大惯量轴姿态机动中的混沌动力学行为.将液体晃动等效为球摆模型并由此建立了带柔性附件充液航天器多体耦合系统动力学模型.首先推导出耦合系统动力学方程并采用Melnikov积分预测受扰系统稳定与不稳定流形是否横截相交,得到了参数形式表达的混沌运动解析判据,这对航天器的设计有重要的指导意义.研究发现,混沌的发生依赖于刚体形状,阻尼比,充液比和扭转振动频率.此外,在经过被动再定向姿态机动后,由于液体晃动的本质非线性特性,充液航天器最终将进行大章动角的周期极限环运动而非绕着最大惯量轴自旋.     

卫星对动能拦截器的一种规避策略

为了解决卫星对逆轨来袭动能拦截器的末段防御问题,提出了一种卫星轨道机动规避策略。首先建立了拦截器攻击区的概念,分析了攻击区的特性,具体推导了攻击区的估算方法。在此基础上,根据卫星机动对拦截器攻击区的影响,提出了卫星的轨道机动规避策略。最后,对所提出的攻击区估算方法和卫星轨道机动规避策略进行了仿真验证。仿真结果表明,在拦截器推进剂充足和滚动角稳定值已知的条件下,所提出的攻击区估算方法比较准确;卫星的轨道机动规避策略有效可行。所提出的规避策略对处于攻击区内不可逃逸圆外的卫星,可以保证其以最短的机动时间成功规避拦截器的攻击,对处于不可逃逸圆内的卫星,也可以保证其具有最大的成功规避概率。     

美国AEHF军事通信卫星推进系统及其在首发星上的应用

美国先进极高频（AEHF）项目将采用4颗运行于地球同步轨道（GEO）的AE—HF军事通信卫星。AEHF卫星的推进系统由远地点发动机、姿态控制发动机组和双模式霍尔电推进子系统组成。首发星AEHF-1是世界上首个采用霍尔电推进系统执行发射后轨道提升任夯的GEO卫星。AEHF-1卫星星箭分离后,远地点发动机未能正常工作,因此...     

空间实验室低轨高压长寿命半刚性太阳电池翼技术研究

介绍了国内首次使用的半刚性太阳电池翼的任务与技术指标和产品组成。给出了编织用玻璃纤维纱线制备、柔性玻璃纤维编织、半刚性基板组合工艺和低轨空间环境适应性等关键技术。阐述了研制中进行的运动学和动力学、模态、热、在轨栽荷、强度等仿真分析,以及噪声、振动、高低温展开、模态和其他试验。     

静止轨道卫星在轨温度参数变化规律研究

分析了静止轨道在轨三轴稳定卫星各面上温度参数的变化规律,并通过理论计算得到卫星各面上光强的变化曲线,研究了温度参数变化与对应面上光强的关系,建立了温度参数与光线的线性模型,结果表明模型与实际数据能较好地吻合,对温度参数的预测以及故障的判断具有一定的参考价值.     

地球静止轨道卫星硅太阳电池在轨特性分析

空间辐照效应的影响,使太阳电池输出功率随其在轨时间的推移而逐渐衰减。文章以2颗在轨的地球静止轨道卫星为研究对象,对某类我国自主研发的硅太阳电池的在轨输出功率衰减率进行了分析。并针对所获得的相关遥测参数,通过数值统计与数学分析的方法,采用确定的计算公式得出太阳电池阵的总输出电流,用以表征其输出功率。文章提出了一种曲线平移...