Analysis of Fuel Consumption to Maintain the Formation of Four Satellites in a Circular Configuration

Abstract: This article proposes two strategies for maintaining a circular configuration of satellite formation (SF). NJUST is planning to create a satellite formation consisting of four satellites. It is assumed that the chief satellite is moving in a close to circular orbit, while the other three satellites are moving in a circle relative to the chief satellite. They perform maneuvers to maintain a given relative group configuration. In the work, the evolution of the working orbit of the main satellite chosen for the project is investigated, and an estimation of the costs of the total characteristic velocity for maintaining the elements of this orbit in the specified ranges is given. For a given distance to the central satellite, a study also is carried out to calculate the costs of maintaining the relative position, depending on the accuracy of configuration maintenance. The method is proved to be practical reference significance for further formation flying missions. © 2022, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.