Satellite Constellation Stationkeeping Fuel Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inclined, elliptical satellite constellations experience varying orbital perturbations due to gravitational effects, leading to differing RAAN drift rates, which necessitate excessive stationkeeping fuel to maintain a fixed angular separation and orbital elements, limiting payload capacity.
Innovation Solution
Optimizing satellite constellations by iteratively calculating initial RAAN values and RAAN drift rates to minimize fuel consumption, focusing on the highest fuel-consuming satellite, ensuring equal RAAN drift rates across orbits to reduce perturbations and fuel expenditure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If stationkeeping fuel is increased to maintain fixed angular separation and orbital elements, then orbital stability is improved, but payload mass is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and selecting optimal initial RAAN values and RAAN drift rates for each satellite orbit during the constellation design phase. This preliminary optimization ensures that the satellites experience minimized orbital perturbations throughout their mission lifetime, thereby reducing the stationkeeping fuel required to maintain orbital stability while maximizing payload mass.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by systematically varying and optimizing key orbital parameters including initial RAAN values, RAAN drift rates, and other orbital elements. By iteratively adjusting these parameters to achieve optimal combinations, the patent minimizes the cumulative effect of orbital perturbations, reducing the fuel consumption needed for stationkeeping while maintaining orbital stability.
2Reliability
If stationkeeping fuel is increased to correct for orbital perturbations, then orbital element maintenance is improved, but launch vehicle capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and selecting optimal initial RAAN values and RAAN drift rates for each satellite orbit during the constellation design phase. This preliminary optimization ensures that the satellites experience minimized orbital perturbations throughout their mission lifetime, thereby reducing the stationkeeping fuel required to maintain orbital stability while maximizing payload mass.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by systematically varying and optimizing key orbital parameters including initial RAAN values, RAAN drift rates, and other orbital elements. By iteratively adjusting these parameters to achieve optimal combinations, the patent minimizes the cumulative effect of orbital perturbations, reducing the fuel consumption needed for stationkeeping while maintaining orbital stability.
3Use of energy by moving object
If RAAN drift rates are equalized across orbits, then fuel consumption is reduced, but orbital configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs parameter changes by systematically varying and optimizing key orbital parameters including initial RAAN values, RAAN drift rates, and other orbital elements. By iteratively adjusting these parameters to achieve optimal combinations, the patent minimizes the cumulative effect of orbital perturbations, reducing the fuel consumption needed for stationkeeping while maintaining orbital stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies feedback by implementing an iterative optimization process where fuel consumption calculations are performed for different combinations of initial RAAN values and RAAN drift rates. The results feed back into the selection process, allowing the identification of optimal parameter combinations that minimize fuel consumption while maintaining equal RAAN drift rates across the constellation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces stationkeeping fuel requirements, allowing for a greater payload mass per launch vehicle and maintaining orbital parameters, thereby optimizing fuel efficiency and reducing the cost of satellite constellations.
Implementation Method 1
gravitational effects of these bodies perturb the orbit of each satellite to a differing degree, causing each orbit to tend to precess around the Earth at a different rate
Data Source
AI summary
A satellite constellation optimized for stationkeeping fuel consumption is provided. The satellite constellation includes a plurality of satellites, each satellite having a corresponding inclined elliptical orbit, each orbit having an initial right ascension of ascending node (“RAAN”) value, a RAAN drift rate, a semi-major axis, an eccentricity, an argument of perigee and an inclination. Each satellite has a fuel consumption value required to maintain the RAAN drift rate, the semi-major axis, the eccentricity, the argument of perigee and the inclination of the corresponding orbit. The initial RAAN value and the RAAN drift rate for each orbit correspond to a minimized fuel consumption value for the satellite having the highest fuel consumption value. The initial RAAN value and RAAN drift rate may be determined by calculating, for each possible data combination of an initial RAAN value for each orbit and a RAAN drift rate for the constellation, a fuel consumption value for each satellite in the constellation, and selecting, from the fuel consumption values thus determined, the data combination corresponding to a lowest fuel consumption for a highest fuel-consuming satellite.