Orbit acquisition, rendezvous, and docking with a noncooperative capsule in a Mars sample return mission

Article Engineering, Aerospace

Deployment strategies of a satellite constellation for polar ice monitoring

Mauro Pontani et al.

Summary: This research focuses on a constellation of 16 satellites equipped with SAR sensors for monitoring polar ice evolution. It proposes two strategies, chemical propulsion combined with Earth oblateness perturbation and low-thrust electric propulsion with nonlinear orbit control, for satellite deployment. The study highlights the tradeoff between deployment time and propellant expenditure in orbit phasing.

ACTA ASTRONAUTICA (2022)

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Article Engineering, Aerospace

Mars Constellation Design and Low-Thrust Deployment Using Nonlinear Orbit Control

Mauro Pontani et al.

Summary: This research focuses on the design of a Mars constellation for telecommunications, consisting of 12 satellites. The constellation provides continuous global coverage over the entire Martian surface. A cost-effective approach using 4 carrier vehicles is proposed for deploying the constellation. The stability analysis and feedback control ensure quasi-global stability of each satellite in the constellation.

JOURNAL OF THE ASTRONAUTICAL SCIENCES (2022)

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Article Engineering, Aerospace

Nonlinear Earth orbit control using low-thrust propulsion

Mauro Pontani et al.

Summary: This research focuses on developing a nonlinear orbit control technique for low- and medium-altitude Earth-orbit satellites, tailored to compensate for orbit perturbations and errors over a 5-year period. A feedback control law based on Lyapunov stability theory is proposed and tested, with analysis of its stability properties and impact on propellant requirements.

ACTA ASTRONAUTICA (2021)

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Article Engineering, Aerospace