Search results for "Orbital maneuver"
showing 7 items of 7 documents
Optimal Starting Conditions for the Rendezvous Maneuver, Part 1: Optimal Control Approach
2008
We consider the three-dimensional rendezvous between two spacecraft: a target spacecraft on a circular orbit around the Earth and a chaser spacecraft initially on some elliptical orbit yet to be determined. The chaser spacecraft has variable mass, limited thrust, and its trajectory is governed by three controls, one determining the thrust magnitude and two determining the thrust direction. We seek the time history of the controls in such a way that the propellant mass required to execute the rendezvous maneuver is minimized. Two cases are considered: (i) time-to-rendezvous free and (ii) time-to-rendezvous given, respectively equivalent to (i) free angular travel and (ii) fixed angular trave…
Reflections on the Hohmann Transfer
2004
Walter Hohmann was a civil engineer who studied orbital maneuvers in his spare time. In 1925, he published an important book (Ref. 1) containing his main result, namely, that the most economical transfer from a circular orbit to another circular orbit is achieved via an elliptical trajectory bitangent to the terminal orbits. With the advent of the space program some three decades later, the Hohmann transfer maneuver became the most fundamental maneuver in space. In this work, we present a complete study of the Hohmann transfer maneuver. After revisiting its known properties, we present a number of supplementary properties which are essential to the qualitative understanding of the maneuver.…
Averaging and optimal control of elliptic Keplerian orbits with low propulsion
2006
This article deals with the optimal transfer of a satellite between Keplerian orbits using low propulsion. It is based on preliminary results of Geffroy [Generalisation des techniques de moyennation en controle optimal, application aux problemes de rendez-vous orbitaux a poussee faible, Ph.D. Thesis, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, France, Octobre 1997] where the optimal trajectories are approximated using averaging techniques. The objective is to introduce the appropriate geometric framework and to complete the analysis of the averaged optimal trajectories for energy minimization, showing in particular the connection with Riemannian problems having integrable geodesics.
Riemannian metric of the averaged energy minimization problem in orbital transfer with low thrust
2007
Abstract This article deals with the optimal transfer of a satellite between Keplerian orbits using low propulsion and is based on preliminary results of Epenoy et al. (1997) where the optimal trajectories of the energy minimization problem are approximated using averaging techniques. The averaged Hamiltonian system is explicitly computed. It is related to a Riemannian problem whose distance is an approximation of the value function. The extremal curves are analyzed, proving that the system remains integrable in the coplanar case. It is also checked that the metric associated with coplanar transfers towards a circular orbit is flat. Smoothness of small Riemannian spheres ensures global opti…
Optimality results in orbit transfer
2007
Abstract The objective of this Note is to present optimality results in orbital transfer. Averaging of the energy minimization problem is considered, and properties of the associated Riemannian metric are discussed. To cite this article: B. Bonnard, J.-B. Caillau, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 345 (2007).
Conjugate and cut loci of a two-sphere of revolution with application to optimal control
2008
Abstract The objective of this article is to present a sharp result to determine when the cut locus for a class of metrics on a two-sphere of revolution is reduced to a single branch. This work is motivated by optimal control problems in space and quantum dynamics and gives global optimal results in orbital transfer and for Lindblad equations in quantum control.
Geometric optimal control of elliptic Keplerian orbits
2005
This article deals with the transfer of a satellite between Keplerian orbits. We study the controllability properties of the system and make a preliminary analysis of the time optimal control using the maximum principle. Second order sufficient conditions are also given. Finally, the time optimal trajectory to transfer the system from an initial low orbit with large eccentricity to a terminal geostationary orbit is obtained numerically.