Optimal deployment of spin-stabilized tethered formations with continuous thrusters

This paper addresses issues relevant to thruster-aided deployment of spin-stabilized tethered formations in a circular orbit. The dynamics of the tethered formation are first established by treating the parent satellite as a finite-sized body with respect to its spinning motion. To achieve the minimum-power trajectories for formation deployment, the optimal deployment problem is analytically formulated using Pontryagin’s minimum principle. Physical constraints on tether tension, thrust amplitude, and libration angle are also considered. To handle nonlinearities, the problem is solved numerically using a direct method based on the Gauss pseudospectral approach, in which the optimal deployment profiles are obtained and all of the solutions are proven to be within a feasible range. Finally, based on a variety of simulations, the optimal solution’s sensitivity to certain parameters is also analyzed.