On-orbit verification of fuel-free attitude control system for spinning solar sail utilizing solar radiation pressure

This paper introduces a new attitude control system for a solar sail, which leverages solar radiation pressure. This novel system achieves completely fuel-free and oscillation-free attitude control of a flexible spinning solar sail. This system consists of thin-film-type devices that electrically control their optical parameters such as reflectivity to generate an imbalance in the solar radiation pressure applied to the edge of the sail. By using these devices, minute and continuous control torque can be applied to the sail to realize very stable and fuel-free attitude control of the large and flexible membrane. The control system was implemented as an optional attitude control system for small solar power sail demonstrator named IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun). In-orbit attitude control experiments were conducted, and the performance of the controller was successfully verified in comparison with the ground-based analytical performance estimation.     

太阳帆推进任务的快速仿真方法

研究太阳帆的力学特性和轨道控制设计方法,导出太阳帆的无奇点控制律.提出通过STK中MATLAB语言编写的嵌入式脚本（Plug in Script）来将由控制律得到的光压力加速度矢量,添加到STK轨道计算力学模型中,从而进行轨道控制的方法.仿真结果表明,对于常规方法难以进行仿真分析的航天器动力学模型（如太阳帆）,所提出的方法能快速灵活地支持其相应的任务,并增强任务场景的可视化,从而实现利用STK丰富的功能特性进行复杂航天任务的设计、分析和验证.     

太阳帆航天器编队维持和重构的方法研究

针对高面质比航天器可以利用太阳光压进行轨道控制的特点,本文提出一种太阳帆航天器编队构型维持和重构的方法.该方法通过控制主从航天器太阳帆姿态角和反射系数,调整主从航天器之间的光压差,产生抵消编队成员间相对运动受到摄动差或进行轨道机动时所需的连续小推力,从而实现编队构型的维持和重构.仿真结果表明,在主航天器太阳帆的姿态角和反射系数相对固定的条件下,对于太阳同步轨道上的高面质比太阳帆航天器编队,使用滑模控制方法,能够调整编队中从航天器太阳帆的姿态角和反射系数产生推力抵消摄动力影响,达到长期维持太阳帆航天器编队构型的目的;通过开环控制方法,能够调整编队中从航天器太阳帆的姿态角和反射系数产生连续小推力,在较长时间周期内实现编队重构.     

姿态角幅值约束下的太阳帆Lissajous轨道保持控制

太阳帆航天器以两姿态角作为轨道控制输入时, 其轨道动力学方程具有非仿射非线性特性. 通过人工平动点处线性化获得的线性系统可完成太阳帆航天器轨道保持控制器的分析与设计. 由于线性近似模型为有误差模型, 存在近似有效范围约束, 表现为轨道高度约束和姿态角幅值约束. 本文研究了姿态角幅值约束对线性近似模型有效性的影响, 通过计算给出满足近似误差要求的姿态角幅值约束. 当控制输入存在幅值约束时, 控制器轨道修正能力受到束缚. 通过研究姿态角幅值约束下的最大允许入轨误差, 设计了最大允许入轨误差下线性二次型调节器(LQR)用于轨道保持控制, 并将控制器应用于太阳帆日地三体系统非线性模型中, 实现了日地人工L₁点Lissajous轨道最大允许入轨误差的控制收敛和良好精度下的轨道保持控制.      

太阳帆飞行器轨道动力学分析

通过分析对轨道要素影响最大的加速度分量,使太阳帆总是位于光压力沿这个加速度方向的分量最大的方位。通过分析轨道要素调整时的相互影响关系,提出了同时修正多种轨道偏差的控制方案。对处于地球静止轨道上太阳帆飞行器的轨道调整进行了数值仿真。结果证明利用太阳光压力进行轨道调整是可行的,而且有利的太阳方位是进行快速有效的轨道调整的必要条件。     

Integrated guidance and control for solar sail station-keeping with optical degradation

Current control approaches for solar sail station-keeping on libration point orbits have not considered the degradation of the sail’s optical properties. However, significant optical degradation could lead to poor station-keeping performance or even complete failure. This paper presents an integrated guidance and control strategy to address this problem by updating the reference orbit based on in situ estimation. An exponential optical degradation model is incorporated into the solar radiation acceleration model, and an on-line reference orbit update approach is incorporated into the station-keeping, coupled with an active disturbance rejection controller. The reflection coefficient is estimated on-line and the reference orbit is updated discretely when the optical properties have degraded by a prescribed amount. This strategy provides discrete updates to the reference orbits such that the perturbation due to the optical degradation is maintained within a small range. These smaller perturbations can be dealt with by the controller’s robustness and station-keeping can be sustained for long durations even in the presence of large optical degradation.     

Shape optimization of a three-dimensional membrane-structured solar sail using an angular momentum unloading strategy

A shape of the satellite’s solar sail membrane is essential for unloading angular momentum in the three-axis stabilized attitude control system because the three-dimensional solar sail can receive solar radiation pressure from arbitrary directions. In this paper, the objective is the shape optimization of a three-dimensional membrane-structured solar sail using the angular momentum unloading strategy. We modelled and simulated the solar radiation pressure torque, for unloading angular momentum. Using the simulation system, since the unloading angular momentum rate is maximized, the shape of the three-dimensional solar sail was optimized using a Genetic algorithm and Sequential Quadratic Programming. The unloading velocity in the optimized shaped solar sail was greatly improved with respect to a conventional flat or pyramid solar sail.     

日心悬浮轨道混合推进航天器编队构型保持研究

针对混合推进航天器编队日心悬浮轨道保持控制问题进行了研究.首先推导出在日心悬浮轨道附近的航天器编队相对运动方程,考虑到航天器间距离变化值较小且航天器间距离与航天器到太阳的距离的比值为小量,将其在悬浮轨道附近线性化.基于该线性化方程,设计了一种LQR编队控制方式,该控制方式可通过调节太阳帆的姿态及航天器间库仑力的大小对编队构型进行改变或保持,具有响应速度快和控制简单的特点.最后对控制律进行数值仿真,表明该控制方法能实现编队.     

Dynamical analysis of a spinning solar sail

This paper discusses the orbit and attitude dynamics of a solar sail, and gives the sufficient conditions of a stable orbit and attitude coupled system. The stability of the coupled system is determined by the orbit stability and attitude stability. Based on the sufficient conditions, a spin-stabilized solar sail of cone configuration is proposed to evolve in the heliocentric displaced orbit. For this kind of configuration, the attitude is always stable by spinning itself. The orbit stability depends on the orbit parameters of the heliocentric displaced orbit, the ratio of the orbit radius to displaced distance and orbit angular velocity. If the center of mass and center of pressure overlap, it can be proved that the coupled system is stable when the orbit parameters are chosen in the stable region. When the center of mass and center of pressure offset exists, the stability of the coupled system can not be judged. A numerical example is given and the result shows that both the orbit and attitude are stable for the case.     

Influence of curved thin-film device on deformation of a solar sail

A spinning solar sail IKAROS’s membrane is estimated to unexpectedly deform into an inverted pyramid shape due to thin-film devices with curvature, such as thin-film solar cells and steering devices on the membrane. It is important to investigate the deformation caused by the curved thin-film devices and predict the sail shape because the out-of-plane deformation greatly affects solar radiation pressure (SRP) and SRP torque. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between the global shape and orientation and position of curved thin-film devices and to evaluate SRP torque on the global shape using finite element analysis. The global shape is evaluated based on the out-of-plane displacement and the SRP torque. When the curved thin-film devices make the membrane shrink in the circumferential, diagonal, and radial direction, the sail deforms into a pyramid shape, an inverted pyramid one, and a saddle one, respectively. The saddle shape is more desirable for solar sails than the inverted pyramid shape and the pyramid one from the viewpoint of shape stability to SRP and control of SRP torque in the normal direction of the sail (windmill torque). The position of the thin-film device tends to increase the absolute value of windmill torque when it is biased circumferentially from the petal central axis. The suggested design principles for the arrangement of thin-film devices is that the curved thin-film devices should be directed so that the sail shrinks in the radial direction in order to deform the sail into a saddle shape with high shape stability, and the position of the thin-film devices should be biased in the circumferential direction paying attention to the absolute value of windmill torque to determine the direction of windmill torque.     

利用绳系太阳帆减缓小行星自转的技术研究

提出一种利用太阳帆绳系系统逐渐减小小行星自转速率的方法。在系绳长度不变的情况下,利用太阳帆受到的太阳光压力使其始终保持与小行星同步,避免了由于小行星自转而引起的系绳缠绕问题。通过控制太阳帆使系绳始终拉紧,系绳中的拉力便可以持续提供一个与小行星自转方向相反的力矩,从而减小其自转速率。仿真结果表明,面积10⁶ m²的太阳帆,经过约86天可将小行星的自转消除,验证了该方法的有效性。     

Solar sails for perturbation relief: Application to asteroids

A major cause of spacecraft orbital variation comes from natural perturbations, which, in close proximity of a body, are dominated by its non-spherical nature. For small bodies, such as asteroids, these effects can be considerable, given their uneven (and uncertain) mass distribution. Solar sail technology is proposed to reduce or eliminate the net secular effects of the irregular gravity field on the orbit. Initially, a sensitivity analysis will be carried out on the system which will show high sensitivity to changes in initial conditions. This presents a challenge for optimisation methods which require an initial guess of the solution. As such, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) is proposed as the preferred optimisation method as this requires no initial guess from the user. A multi-objective optimisation is performed which aims to achieve a periodic orbit whilst also minimising the effort required by the sail to do so. Given the system sensitivity, the control law for one orbit is not necessarily applicable for any subsequent orbit. Therefore, a new method of updating the control law for subsequent orbits is presented, based on linearisation and use of a Control Transition Matrix (CTM). The techniques will later find application in a multiple asteroid rendezvous mission with a solar sail as the primary propulsion system.     

航天器与空间碎片的混合编队重构控制与应用

针对空间碎片清理问题,提出了一种利用航天器与空间碎片混合编队队形重构控制技术捕获碎片的方法。首先,分析了地/月—日系L2拉格朗日平动点附近的限制性三体环境,并建立了编队卫星相对运动动力学模型;其次,提出了以太阳光压力作为航天器与空间碎片编队队形重构的控制力,实现各从星接近空间碎片的目的;最后,设计了基于线性二次型的最优控制器,并在Matlab/Simulink环境下进行仿真实验。仿真结果表明该方法可控制从星到达期望的位置(空间碎片的位置),且太阳帆板的姿态变化在可控范围内,进而证明了该方案可以应用于复杂空间环境下的碎片清理任务。     

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.     

Numerical techniques for generating and refining solar sail trajectories

Like all applications in trajectory design, the design of solar sail trajectories requires a transition from analytical models to numerically generated realizations of an orbit. In astrodynamics, three numerical strategies are often employed. Differential correctors (also known as shooting methods) are perhaps the most common techniques. Finite-difference methods and collocation schemes are also employed and are successful in generating trajectories with pseudo-continuous control histories. These three numerical techniques are employed here to generate periodic trajectories displaced below the Moon in a circular restricted three-body system. All these approaches reveal trajectory options within the design space for solar sail applications.     

Landing of hopping rovers on Irregularly-shaped small bodies using attitude control

A hopping rover that is driven only by internal or external attitude actuators is an ideal mobility approach for surface exploration of small solar system bodies. Without thrust control and grasping mechanisms, a hopping rover is mechanically simple to design and less prone to mechanical failures, but faces challenges during soft landing. It may rebound from the surface, causing deviations from its original landing site. In this paper, landing of a hopping rover on the surface of an asteroid is investigated, and a strategy using only attitude control to shorten the landing distance is proposed. Based on rigid body impact dynamics, the edge impact configuration is investigated in detail. The factors that affect the impact states of a cube-shaped hopping rover are studied. Then, controlled edge landing is analyzed, in which the post-impact velocity of the hopping rover is changed by controlling its attitude prior to impact. Three guidance schemes are developed, followed by attitude profile generation and finite time stable attitude control. Finally, simulations are performed on an ideal flat surface and uneven terrain. The results show that controlled edge landing can effectively reduce the landing distance and settling time, compared with uncontrolled landing. This study on hopping motion on the surface of an irregular-shaped asteroid with attitude control, can provide a reference for hopper trajectory plan in future asteroid surface explorations.     

Solar sail optimal control with solar irradiance fluctuations

The optimization of a solar sail-based orbital transfer amounts to searching for the control law that minimizes the flight time. In this context, the optimal trajectory is usually determined assuming constant solar properties. However, the total solar irradiance undergoes both long-term (solar cycles) and short-term variations, and recent analyses have shown that this may have an impact on solar sailing for missions requiring an accurate thrust modulation. In this regard, the paper discusses a strategy to overcome such an issue by suitably adjusting the thrust vector in order to track a reference, optimal, transfer trajectory. In particular, the sail propulsive acceleration magnitude is modified by means of a set of electrochromic material panels, which change their optical properties on application of a suitable electric voltage. The proposed control law is validated with a set of numerical simulations that involve a classical Earth-Mars, orbit-to-orbit, heliocentric transfer.     

超低轨卫星气动舵机辅助姿态控制方法设计

针对超低轨卫星姿态控制差异化需求,开展了基于气动舵机辅助的姿态控制策略研究。完成了超低轨道稀薄大气下卫星气动舵机布局设计与气动特性研究,理论气动力可达10^-1 N量级,气动力矩可达10^-1 N·m量级。在此基础上,完成了基于气动舵机辅助的姿态控制策略研究。通过仿真验证,在x轴采用动量轮控制、y轴和z轴采用气动舵机辅助控制情况下,可实现优于0.004°的三轴指向精度和优于0.000 7(°)/s的三轴姿态稳定度。所设计气动舵机辅助姿态控制策略对超低轨卫星技术应用与发展具有重要技术价值和工程意义。     

Extrasolar space exploration by a solar sail accelerated via thermal desorption of coating

For extrasolar space exploration it might be very convenient to take advantage of space environmental effects such as solar radiation heating to accelerate a solar sail coated by materials that undergo thermal desorption at a particular temperature. Thermal desorption can provide additional thrust as heating liberates atoms, embedded on the surface of the solar sail. We are considering orbital dynamics of a solar sail coated with materials that undergo thermal desorption at a specific temperature, as a result of heating by solar radiation at a particular heliocentric distance, and focus on two scenarios that only differ in the way the sail approaches the Sun. For each scenario once the perihelion is reached, the sail coat undergoes thermal desorption. When the desorption process ends, the sail then escapes the Solar System having the conventional acceleration due to solar radiation pressure. We study the dependence of a cruise speed of a solar sail on perihelion of the orbit where the solar sail is deployed. The following scenarios are considered and analyzed: (1) Hohmann transfer plus thermal desorption. In this scenario the sail would be carried as a payload to the perihelion with a conventional propulsion system by a Hohmann transfer from Earth’s orbit to an orbit very close to the Sun and then be deployed. Our calculations show that the cruise speed of the solar sail varies from 173?km/s to 325?km/s that corresponds to perihelion 0.3?AU and 0.1 AU, respectively. (2) Elliptical transfer plus Slingshot plus thermal desorption. In this scenario the transfer occurs from Earth’s orbit to Jupiter’s orbit; then a Jupiter’s fly-by leads to the orbit close to the Sun, where the sail is deployed and thermal desorption comes active. In this case the cruise speed of the solar sail varies from 187?km/s to 331?km/s depending on the perihelion of the orbit. Our study analyses and compares the different scenarios in which thermal desorption comes beside traditional propulsion systems for extrasolar space exploration.     

带有两个飞轮的欠驱动航天器姿态稳定控制研究

在系统总角动量不为零的前提下,仅带两个飞轮的航天器无法实现本体系相对于惯性系三轴姿态角为零的稳定控制,而已实现的角速度稳定控制和自旋稳定控制也无法满足姿态控制任务的多样化需求。于是在系统总角动量不为零时,首次提出存在最大程度姿态稳定形式为航天器本体三轴角速度稳定,同时固连于航天器的某一特定视线轴指向任意给定惯性方向。利用一种新的姿态描述形式推导出了角速度为零时航天器的目标姿态,然后基于线性化后的系统设计了线性二次型最优控制器。数值仿真表明利用此控制器能实现所提出的姿态稳定形式,这对于无须实现本体系相对惯性系三轴姿态角为零,而只需对固连于本体的天线或相机进行惯性空间定向控制的航天器将完全满足其姿态控制要求,同时也能提高欠驱动航天器的可靠性。