Orbital maneuvers to form a constellation of small satellites from a single large spacecraft

Abstract

Abstract The main goal of the present paper is to show how to form a constellation of small satellites when all small satellites leave from a larger spacecraft. It is assumed that they will all stay in a planar formation, in the same orbital plane of the mother spacecraft, just dispersed in terms of mean anomaly. Initially, it is considered that the larger satellite orbits the Earth in an almost circular orbit with 2000 km of altitude. Then, a search for initial conditions of the small satellite is performed to find the best ones to move it away from the larger satellite such that it is allocated in a co-orbital orbit with respect to the larger satellite. These initial conditions should minimize the consumption of an impulsive maneuver required to move away the small satellite from the large one to put it in course to its final orbit, trying to make the best use of the most relevant perturbations, such as the solar radiation pressure and the oblateness of the Earth. In a second study, we will analyze the influence of the solar radiation pressure, depending on the A/m ratio of the spacecraft, in the trajectories.