Satellite formation flying control using an innovative technique subject to electromagnetic acceleration

The electrostatic charge became a possible method to control both orbital and attitude motion without fuel consumption or reduce the fuel cost. This study needs to install an ion collector on the satellite to increase the level of charging as artificial charging. In this paper, we developed a linearised satellite relative motion and a combination of Lorentz forces provided by modulating spacecraft's electrostatic charge (magnetic and electric fields) that can be used to keep the desired relative distances and orientations considering J2 perturbation. The proposed controller contains a feedback control using a real-time fuel-optimal control approach is considered for satellite formation control in eccentric orbits based on the developed linear J2 dynamic model. Comprehensive simulation numerical results confirmed the capability of Lorentz force to correct the drift in the relative position of formation flying due to the effect of J2, these corrections depend on the value of charge to mass ratio and magnitude of the relative position.