Investigation of Orbital Controllability Conditions for Small Satellites Taking Into Account the Parameters of Electrostatic Engine

Abstract

Alexander V. Nebylov

The requirements for an electrostatic engine as an actuating element of a small satellite orbit correction system are investigated. It is shown that the already developed engines are too large in size, weight and power consumption to be installed on a nano-satellite even of the U10 format. It is recommended to focus on the construction of controlled small satellites for a mass of 20-30 kg and the corresponding dimensions, similar to the already well-proven satellites of the NorSat series.

The desire to build and launch a group of small satellites of the Cube-Sat format (Cubsat) with a controlled configuration is used already two decades because of the well-formulated motivation and the real comparative cheapness of implementation. But the development of this idea takes place mainly for orbitally unguided satellites and without describing the features of their design.

This publication explains the methodology for choosing the size of the satellite and recommends increasing the mass of the satellites under consideration to 30 kg, which will create conditions for placing a full set of electrostatic engines on board with all the necessary attributes for their effective operation during the orbital relative correction of the satellites in their formation.

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