Ground-based experiments of tether deployment subject to an analytical control law

• Published in: Acta astronautica Vol. 151; pp. 253 - 259
• Main Authors: Yu, B.S., Geng, L.L., Wen, H., Chen, T., Jin, D.P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elmsford Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Aerospace environments; Astrophysics; Brown dwarfs; Control stability; Control theory; Dark matter; Debris; Deployment control; Dynamics similarity; Expanding universe theory; Experiment; Ground based control; Inclination; Motion stability; Space missions; Stability; Stability analysis; Stars & galaxies; Tethered satellite; Tethered satellites; Deployment control; Stability; Experiment; Tethered satellite; Dynamics similarity
• ISSN: 0094-5765; 1879-2030
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.06.013

Tethered satellite systems (TSSs) have shown great application potential in space missions, such as debris capture, active debris removal, and tether assisted observation. When the tether is deployed on-orbit, it may undergo a taut-slack process. This makes controlling a tether deployment more difficult than controlling a suspended tether. This paper examines a tether deployment subjected to an analytical control law in a ground-based experimental testbed. A dynamics similarity is proposed for the ground-based experiment to reproduce the dynamic environment of the tether deployment of the on-orbit TSS. Gravity compensation is used in the experiment to balance the friction forces and gravitation components that arise from the slight inclination of the testbed. The controlled stability is evaluated by the convergence of the pitch motion of the tether. The experimental results show that the controlled tether is successfully deployed along an assigned direction under a taut state during the deployment phase. •The tether is deployed along an assigned direction by an analytical control law.•The experiment along an assigned direction is performed for the first time.•The microgravity environment is emulated to reproduce the equivalent dynamics of TSS.