Electric sail elliptic displaced orbits with advanced thrust model

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Electric sail elliptic displaced orbits with advanced thrust model

Niccolai, Lorenzo / Quarta, Alessandro A. / Mengali, Giovanni

AbstractThis paper analyzes the performance of an Electric Solar Wind Sail for generating and maintaining an elliptic, heliocentric, displaced non-Keplerian orbit. In this sense, this paper extends and completes recent studies regarding the performances of an Electric Solar Wind Sail that covers a circular, heliocentric, displaced orbit of given characteristics. The paper presents the general equations that describe the elliptic orbit maintenance in terms of both spacecraft attitude and performance requirements, when a refined thrust model (recently proposed for the preliminary mission design) is taken into account. In particular, the paper also discusses some practical applications on particular mission scenarios in which an analytic solution of the governing equations has been found.

Highlights•The paper analyzes the E-sail performance for generating elliptic dis-placed orbits.•An advanced thrust model accounts for the influence of spacecraft attitude.•Some new concepts of displaced heliocentric orbits are introduced.•The influence of the thruster physical constraints on the displaced orbit is discussed.