Libration and transverse dynamic stability control of flexible bare electrodynamic tether systems in satellite deorbit

This paper developed a high-fidelity dynamic model of flexible space tether systems by considering the elastic, thermal, and electrical coupling effects on the dynamics and stability of bare electrodynamic tether systems. A simple and effective control strategy based on the libration energy of the flexible tether is derived and applied in the deorbit process. Numerical results show that the newly proposed energy control strategy is effective in controlling the libration and transverse elastic motion of the electrodynamic tether. In addition, the effect of the mass of sub-satellite on the system dynamics and stability is investigated. It is found that the libration and transverse motion of the electrodynamic tether can be stabilized by the proposed control strategy even without the sub-satellite when the electrodynamic force is dominant. This new finding shows the satellite deorbit with the electrodynamic tethers is advantageous in term of mass saving. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.