University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Reducing spacecraft thruster plume contamination using convex optimization

Panag, Himmat Singh

Content Files
PANAG-THESIS-2023.pdf

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120145

Description

Title
Reducing spacecraft thruster plume contamination using convex optimization
Author(s)
Panag, Himmat Singh
Issue Date
2023-05-02
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Woollands, Robyn
Department of Study
Aerospace Engineering
Discipline
Aerospace Engineering
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
  • Convex optimization
  • plume contamination
  • thruster pointing constraints
  • successive approximations
Abstract
Commercialization of space has opened the door to a multitude of possibilities for on-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing missions. Rendezvous, proximity operations and docking are key elements of such missions, and extreme care must be taken to avoid thruster plume contamination of delicate sensors or payloads onboard either vehicle. In this paper we present a thorough investigation into the key sources of contamination for chemical and electric thrusters operating in close proximity to another vehicle. We develop first order plume models, to approximate thruster induced contamination, for use in our trajectory planning simulations. Fuel-optimal approach trajectories from the chaser/servicer satellite to the target/client satellite are computed using convex optimization, where the Clohessy-Wilteshire equations are used to represent the system dynamics. We then re-solve the problem while restricting the thruster pointing region by formulating a non-convex pointing constraint. This constraint is incorporated using a successive approximations method and leads to converged trajectories that reduce contamination of designated areas on the target vehicle, while keeping the required ∆V for the maneuver relatively low compared with the unconstrained problem. As expected, results confirm that incorporating this pointing constraint into the convex optimization problem leads to trajectories that are significantly more fuel efficient than those where an arbitrary non-optimal pointing constraint is simply enforced at specific times to avoid contamination.
Graduation Semester
2023-05
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120145
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2023 Himmat Panag

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois