ULTRACONTROL · Ultra-low cost orbit transfer and orbit control for future libration point missions
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2019-09-01 → 2021-08-31
- EU contribution
- €195,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Ultra-low cost orbit transfer and orbit control for future libration point missions
The key objective of this ambitious project is to develop an entirely new method of spacecraft orbit transfer and orbit control by combining solar sails and modern dynamical system theory. The new method will enable ultra-low cost libration point missions, with numerous applications in space science, Earth observation space weather and telecommunications. To achieve this goal, orbit control for such libration point missions will be investigated using dynamical system theory with solar radiation pressure. This provides a key advantage over conventional thrusters, since a solar sail does not require propellant, thus reducing spacecraft mass and launch costs while significantly lengthening mission duration. During the project, an approximate semi-analytical approach to compute the deviation of a solar sail spacecraft during motion along a Halo orbit was derived. Afterwards, the accuracy of the proposed approach was evaluated and quantified. The methodology developed also provides efficient tools to underpin Halo orbit control strategies using solar radiation pressure.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The key objective of this ambitious and adventurous program of research is to develop an entirely new method of spacecraft orbit transfer and orbit control using solar sails, driven only by solar radiation pressure. The new method will enable ultra-low cost libration point missions, with numerous applications in space science, Earth observation and telecommunications.To achieve this goal, orbit transfer and orbit control for such libration point missions will be investigated using modern dynamical system theory with solar radiation pressure. This provides a key advantage over conventional thrusters, since a solar sail does not require propellant, thus reducing spacecraft mass and launch costs while significantly lengthening missionduration. Through this programme of research, practical control strategies will be evaluated and engineering requirementson solar sail size and performance assessed.The programme of research will be supported by the interdisciplinary Space Glasgow Research Cluster and the host’s extensive network of international collaborators on solar sailing (ESA, NASA, NOAA). The host supervisor is the acknowledged international leader in the rapidly developing field of solar sailing. The therefore project offers a goldenopportunity to link the Experienced Research’s prior work on real-world solar sail mission operations at the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) with the host’s extensive expertise in solar sail orbital dynamics.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW · GlasgowCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/799873
- http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20210223222036/https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/engineering/research/divisions/systems/researchgroups/spaceandexplorationtechnology/
Data: CORDIS, © European Union