Dynamics and control of multi-connected satellites aligned along local horizontal

The paper presents dynamics and control of multi-connected satellites aligned along an unstable local horizontal configuration. The satellites are modeled as point masses and they are connected through cables. The cables are assumed to be flexible but massless. The governing equations of motions of the system moving in an elliptic orbit are obtained through a Lagrangian approach. The control laws are developed and the cable deployment and retrieval laws are stated for an N-body system. Results of numerical simulations of the nonlinear governing equations of motion of two- and three-body systems and approximate closed-form solutions indicate the feasibility of controlling multi-connected satellites along the local horizontal. Finally, the effects of various system parameters as well as the cable deployment and retrieval on the system response have been investigated. It is important to mention that the multi-connected satellites system outperforms the free flyer multi-satellite system and the controller only requires force in the order of a Millinewton for multi-satellites in geostationary orbit with a desired inter-satellite separation distance of 100 m.