Ricerc@Sapienza

The ability of a spacecraft formation to maintain a stable relative geometry is often critical to the success of the mission. Typical optimal path planning and control algorithms, aimed to minimize the effort and indeed the consumption, have been revisited for the case of a triangular formation. The constraints coming from col-lision risk avoidance during the maneuver and from a maximum allowed inter-satellite distance to preserve the formation links are considered together with the typical requirement of configuration stability. The control strategy is applied to different dynamic models, namely circular – also including J2 effect – orbits and eccentric ones. Several simulations have been carried on to investigate the behavior of the optimal continuous control action, computed by applying the well-known Linear Quadratic Regulator.