Session
Poster Session 1
Abstract
Small satellites are increasingly being deployed in LEO, where orbital decay is prevalent due to drag and solar radiation. In this paper, we are interested in assessing orbit maintenance methods, in terms of the ΔV usage, that mitigate the effects of drag and solar radiation pressure. We simulate three different kinds of orbit maintenance strategies, using known parameters from a recently launched small-sat in Singapore – the VELOX-CI. To begin, we first develop an orbital decay model coded decay simulations on Python. Three station-keeping strategies were then proposed; the first is an ‘ideal’ reference strategy, and the latter two are periodic thruster-burn strategies where we vary the frequency of thruster fire by varying the in-track / altitude tolerance band. The total ΔV used throughout the lifespan of the mission was then calculated. Results show an intimate connection between all three orbit maintenance strategies. As the threshold tolerance of thruster fire for Methods 2 and 3 tend to zero, the total ΔV tends towards the ΔV usage of a constant thrust force (Method 1). Conversely, this indicates a potential for minimizing ΔV usage in our chosen orbit maintenance strategies, simply by varying the tolerance bands.
Assessment of Orbit Maintenance Strategies for Small Satellites
Small satellites are increasingly being deployed in LEO, where orbital decay is prevalent due to drag and solar radiation. In this paper, we are interested in assessing orbit maintenance methods, in terms of the ΔV usage, that mitigate the effects of drag and solar radiation pressure. We simulate three different kinds of orbit maintenance strategies, using known parameters from a recently launched small-sat in Singapore – the VELOX-CI. To begin, we first develop an orbital decay model coded decay simulations on Python. Three station-keeping strategies were then proposed; the first is an ‘ideal’ reference strategy, and the latter two are periodic thruster-burn strategies where we vary the frequency of thruster fire by varying the in-track / altitude tolerance band. The total ΔV used throughout the lifespan of the mission was then calculated. Results show an intimate connection between all three orbit maintenance strategies. As the threshold tolerance of thruster fire for Methods 2 and 3 tend to zero, the total ΔV tends towards the ΔV usage of a constant thrust force (Method 1). Conversely, this indicates a potential for minimizing ΔV usage in our chosen orbit maintenance strategies, simply by varying the tolerance bands.
