Low-Thrust Collision Avoidance in Circular Orbits
Javier Hernando-Ayuso, Claudio Bombardelli
Abstract
The problem of optimum low-thrust collision avoidance between two objects in circular orbits is investigated. The thrust vector of the maneuvered satellite, applied continuously for a given time span, is held constant in magnitude as a consequence of Pontryagin’s maximum principle while its orientation is controlled following the solution of an optimal control problem using the indirect method written in B-plane coordinates. In addition, a simple, fully analytical solution for a tangential maneuver is derived and compared with the controlled solution. Results show that the analytical solution is sufficiently accurate and adequate for a preliminary design of the maneuver. The influence of environmental perturbations is also addressed and shown to be negligible.