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This paper aims to present the impact analysis of payload rendezvous with tethered satellite system and the design of an adaptive sliding mode controller which can deal with mass parameter uncertainty of targeted payload, so that the proposed cislunar transportation scheme with spinning tether system could be extended to a wider and more practical range.

In this work, dynamical model is first derived based on Langrangian equations to describe the motion of a spinning tether system in an arbitrary Keplerian orbit, which takes the mass of spacecraft, tether and payload into account. Orbital design and optimal open-loop control for the payload tossed by the spinning tether system are then presented. The real payload rendezvous impact around docking point is also analyzed. Based on reference acceleration trajectory given by optimal theories, a sliding mode controller with saturation functions is designed in the close-loop control of payload tossing stage under initial disturbance caused by actual rendezvous error. To alleviate the influence of inaccurate/unknown payload mass parameters, the adaptive law is designed and integrated into sliding mode controller. Finally, the performance of the proposed controller is evaluated using simulations. Simulation results validate that proposed controller is found effective in driving the spinning tether system to carry payload into desired cislunar transfer orbit and in dealing with payload mass parameter uncertainty in a relatively large range.

The results show that unideal rendezvous manoeuvres have significant impact on in-plane motion of spinning tether system, and the proposed adaptive sliding mode controller with saturation functions not only guarantees the stability but also provides good performance and robustness against the parameter and unstructured uncertainties.

This work addresses the analysis of actual impact on spinning tether system motion when payload is docking with system within tolerated docking window, rather than at the particular ideal docking point, and the robust tracking control of deep-space payload tossing missions with the spinning tether system using the adaptive sliding mode controller dealing with parameter uncertainties. This combination has not been proposed before for tracking control of multivariable spinning tether systems.

This paper aims to investigate the decentralised strategy to coordinate the reconfiguration of multiple spacecraft.

The system of interest consists of multiple spacecraft with independent subsystem dynamics and local constraints, but is linked through their coupling constraints. The proposed method decomposes the centralised problem into smaller subproblems. It minimises the fuel consumption of multiple spacecraft performing a reconfiguration manoeuvre through an iterative computation. In particular, each agent optimises its individual cost function using the most recently available local solution for the other agents.

The simulation scenarios include spacecraft formation reconfiguration and close manoeuvres around obstacles were conducted. The simulation results showed the fast convergence of the proposed algorithm, while local and inter-vehicle constraints were maintained.

The main advantage of this approach is that it adopts a linear form of the objective function. This allows the local optimisation problem to be formulated as a mixed-integer, linear programming problem, most of which can be quickly solved with resort to commercial software.

This paper aims to present a novel method for identification and classification of rotational motion for uncontrolled satellites. These processes are shown in context of close proximity orbital operations. In particular, it includes a manipulator arm mounted on chaser satellite and used to capture target satellites. In such situations, a precise extrapolation of the target’s docking port position is needed to determine the manipulator arm motion. The outcome of this analysis might be used in future debris removal or servicing space missions.

Nonlinear, and in some special cases, chaotic nature of satellite rotational motion was considered. Four parameters were defined: range of motion toward docking port, dominant frequencies, fractal dimension of the motion and its time dependencies.

The qualitative analysis was performed for presented cases of spacecraft rotational motion and for each case the respective parameters were calculated. The analysis shows that it is possible to detect the type of rotational motion.

A novel procedure allowing to estimate the type of satellite rotational motion based on fractal approach was proposed.

One of the primary problems in the field of on‐orbit service and space conflict is related to the approach to the target. The development of guidance algorithms is one of the main research areas in this field. The objective of this paper is to address the guidance problem for autonomous proximity manoeuvres of a chase‐spacecraft approaching a target spacecraft.

The process of autonomous proximity is divided into three phases: proximity manoeuvre, fly‐around manoeuvre, and final approach. The characteristics of the three phases are analyzed. Considering the time factor of autonomous proximity, different orbits for the three phases are planned. Different guidance algorithms, which are based on multi‐pulse manoeuvres, are then devised.

This paper proposes three phases of autonomous proximity and then designs a guidance method, which hinges on a multi‐pulse algorithm and different orbits for the three phases; in addition, a method of impulse selection is devised.

An easy methodology for the analysis and design of autonomous proximity manoeuvres is proposed, which could also be considered for other space applications such as formation flying deployment and reconfiguration.

Based on this guidance method, the manoeuvre‐flight period of the chase‐spacecraft can be set in accordance with the mission requirements; the constraints on fuel mass and manoeuvre time are both considered and satisfied. Consequently, this proposed guidance method can effectively deal with the problem of proximity approach to a target spacecraft.

In this paper, the development of relative guidance and control algorithms for proximity operations to satellite in elliptical orbit are presented. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The process of autonomous proximity is divided into three phases: proximity manoeuvre, flyaround manoeuvre, and hovering manoeuvre. The characteristics of the three phases are analyzed. Different guidance algorithms are based on using the analytical closed-form solution of the Tschauner-Hempel (TH) equations that is completely explicit in time. Lastly, the linear quadratic regulators control algorithm based on the linearized TH equations is developed to minimize the initial state errors in the last phase.

This paper defines three phases in the satellite proximity operations and develops the guidance and control algorithms. Then, the relative guidance and control algorithms are illustrated through different numerical examples. And the results demonstrate the effectiveness and simplicity of using a TH model in autonomous proximity.

The findings indicate that a TH model is clearly effective at estimating the relative position and velocity and controlling the relative trajectory. In addition, this model is not restricted to a circular orbit, but it can be used as well for an elliptical orbit. Furthermore, by using this model, simple guidance and control algorithms are developed to approach, flyaround and hover from a target satellite.

Based on the guidance algorithms, the manoeuvre-flight period can be set in accordance with the mission requirement. Flyaround with different types of trajectory and a feedback control scheme to achieve stable hovering state are studied. Consequently, this proposed guidance algorithms can effectively implement guidance and control for satellite proximity operations.

This study aims to design a controller which can improve the end-effector low-frequency chattering resulting from the measurement noise and the time delay in the on-orbit tasks. The rendezvous point will move along the rendezvous ring owing to the error of the camera, and the manipulators’ collision need be avoided. In addition, owing to the dynamics coupling, the manipulators’ motion will disturb the spacecraft, and the low tracking accuracy of the end-effector needs to be improved.

This paper proposes a minimum disturbance controller based on the synchronous and adaptive acceleration planning to improve the tracking error and the disturbance energy. The synchronous and adaptive acceleration planning method plans the optimal rendezvous point and designs synchronous approaching method and provides an estimation method of the rendezvous point acceleration. A minimum disturbance controller is designed based on the energy conservation to optimize the disturbance resulting from the manipulator’s motion.

The acceleration planning method avoids the collision of two end-effectors and reduces the error caused by the low-frequency chattering. The minimum disturbance controller minimizes the disturbance energy of the manipulators’ motion transferred to the spacecraft. Experiment results show that the proposed method improves the low-frequency chattering, and the average position tracking error reduces by 30%, and disturbance energy reduces by 30% at least. In addition, it has good performances in the synchronous motion and adaptive tracking.

Given the immeasurability of the target satellite acceleration in space, this paper proposes an estimation method of the acceleration. This paper proposes a synchronous and adaptive acceleration planning method. In addition, the rendezvous points are optimized to avoid the two end-effectors collisions. By the energy conservation, the minimum disturbance controller is designed to ensure a satisfying tracking error and reduce the disturbance energy resulting from the manipulators’ motion.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the safety of formation flying satellites, and propose a method for practical collision monitoring and collision avoidance manoeuvre.

A general formation description method based on relative orbital elements is proposed, and a collision probability calculation model is established. The formula for the minimum relative distance in the crosstrack plane is derived, and the influence of J2 perturbation on formation safety is analyzed. Subsequently, the optimal collision avoidance manoeuvre problem is solved using the framework of linear programming algorithms.

The relative orbital elements are illustrative of formation description and are easy to use for perturbation analysis. The relative initial phase angle between the in‐plane and cross‐track plane motions has considerable effect on the formation safety. Simulations confirm the flexibility and effectiveness of the linear programming‐based collision avoidance manoeuvre method.

The proposed collision probability method can be applied in collision monitoring for the proximity operations of spacecraft. The presented minimum distance calculation formula in the cross‐track plane can be used in safe configuration design. Additionally, the linear programming method is suitable for formation control, in which the initial and terminal states are provided.

The relative orbital elements are used to calculate collision probability and analyze formation safety. The linear programming algorithms are extended for collision avoidance, an approach that is simple, effective, and more suitable for on‐board implementation.

The aim of this paper is to discuss E-sail-based missions (E-sail – electric solar wind sail) towards Venus and Mars. The analysis takes into account the real three-dimensional shape of the starting and arrival orbits and the planetary ephemeris constraints by using the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) planetary ephemerides model DE405/LE405.

Each mission scenario is parameterized with different values of departure date and spacecraft characteristic acceleration, the latter representing the maximum propulsive acceleration when the Sun–spacecraft distance is 1 au. The transfer trajectories are studied in an optimal framework, using a Gauss pseudospectral method in which the initial guesses for the state and control histories are obtained with a genetic algorithm-based approach.

The paper illustrates the numerical simulations obtained with a spacecraft characteristic acceleration of 1 mm/s², and the results cover a range of launch dates of 17 years for both Earth–Mars and Earth–Venus interplanetary missions. In particular, the numerical results confirm the competitiveness of such a propellantless propulsion system.

A parametric study of the transfer’s flight time corresponding to the optimal departure dates is discussed for different values of the spacecraft characteristic acceleration. The results motivate a further in-depth analysis of the E-sail concept.

This paper extends previous work on optimal trajectories with an E-sail in that the best launch opportunities are investigated. A refined thrust model is also used in all numerical simulations.