Modeling and Disturbance Analysis of Spinning Satellites with Inflatable Protective Structures

Abstract

The escalating proliferation of space debris poses an increasing risk to spinning satellites, elevating the probability of hazardous collisions that can result in severe damage or total loss of functionality. To address this concern, a pioneering inflatable protective structure is employed to ensure the optimal functionality of spinning satellites. Additionally, a multi-body dynamic modeling method based on spring hinge unfolding/spring expansion is proposed to tackle the complex dynamics of spinning satellites with inflatable protective structures during flight. This method enables analysis of the motion parameters of spinning satellites. First, the structural composition of a spinning satellite with inflatable protective structures is introduced and its flight process is analyzed. Then, an articulated spring hinge unfolding model or a spring expansion model using the Newton–Euler method is established to describe the unfolding or expansion of the spinning satellite with inflatable protective structures during flight. Finally, the effects on the motion parameters of a spinning satellite are analyzed through simulation under various working conditions.