Precision Control of Microsatellite Swarms using Plasmonic Force Propulsion
Abstract
Scientific mission concepts using swarm formations require micronewton levels of thrust to enable precision formation flying and spacecraft pointing. Plasmonic force propulsion can provide these levels of thrust to the microsatellite platform to enable these advanced missions. Three case studies are used to evaluate the performance of a swarm composed of microsatellites, each equipped with plasmonic thrusters. Control techniques are evaluated and adapted to provide robust and precise control under system disturbances, model uncertainties, and noise. Results show that relative position and pointing can be achieved to meet scientific objectives for a range of swarm precision formation missions.
Recommended Citation
P. Galchenko and H. J. Pernicka, "Precision Control of Microsatellite Swarms using Plasmonic Force Propulsion," Advances in the Astronautical Sciences, vol. 167, pp. 935 - 954, Univelt Inc., Aug 2018.
Meeting Name
AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, 2018 (2018: Aug. 19-23, Snowbird, UT)
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Astrophysics; Atomic absorption spectrometry; DNA sequences; Propulsion; Uncertainty analysis, Control techniques; Micro-satellite platforms; Model uncertainties; Precision control; Relative positions; Scientific mission; Scientific objectives; System disturbances, Plasmonics
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-087703659-3
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0065-3438
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2018 Univelt Inc., All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Aug 2018
Comments
Portions of this research were supported by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program. Additionally, the authors thank the Missouri University of Science and Technology for partially sponsoring this research.