Orbital Mechanics and Formation Flying: A Digital Control Perspective

This book provides practical information on the development, analysis, and control of a single and/or multiple spacecraft in space. This book is divided into two major sections: single and multiple satellite motion. The first section analyzes the orbital mechanics, orbital perturbations, and attitude dynamics of a single satellite about the earth. Using the knowledge of a single satellite motion, it explains the translation of a group of satellites called formation flying or constellation. Formation flying is one of the main research topics in the last few years and this book explains different approaches to control the satellite attitude motion and/or to maintain the constellation together. The control schemes are explained in the discrete domain such that it can be easily implemented on the computer onboard the satellite. The key objective of the book is to show the reader the practical and the implementation process in the discrete domain.