Gravity-oriented satellite dynamics subject to gravitational and active damping torques

• Published in: Cosmic research Vol. 56; no. 1; pp. 68 - 74
• Main Authors: Sarychev, V. A., Gutnik, S. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.01.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Active damping; Angular velocity; Astronomy; Astrophysics and Astroparticles; Astrophysics and Cosmology; Asymptotic properties; Attenuation; Axes (reference lines); Circular orbits; Dimensionless numbers; Equilibrium; Gravitational effects; Moments of inertia; Parameters; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Routh-Hurwitz criterion; Satellites; Space Exploration and Astronautics; Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics; Stability analysis; Torque
• ISSN: 0010-9525; 1608-3075
• DOI: 10.1134/S0010952518010082

The dynamics of the rotational motion of a satellite moving in the central Newtonian field of force over a circular orbit under the effect of gravitational and active damping torques, which depend on the satellite angular velocity projections, has been investigated. The paper proposes a method of determining all equilibrium positions (equilibrium orientations) of a satellite in the orbital coordinate system for specified values of damping coefficients and principal central moments of inertia. The conditions of their existence have been obtained. For a zero equilibrium position where the axes of the satellite-centered coordinate system coincide with the axes of the orbital coordinate system, the necessary and sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability are obtained using the Routh–Hurwitz criterion. A detailed analysis of the regions where the conditions of the asymptotic stability of a zero equilibrium position are fulfilled have been obtained depending on three dimensionless parameters of the problem, and the numerical study of the process of attenuation of satellite’s spatial oscillations for various damping coefficients has been carried out. It has been shown that there is a wide range of damping parameters from which, by choosing the necessary values, one can provide the asymptotic stability of satellite’s zero equilibrium position in the orbital coordinate system.