Friday 21 March 2025
A novel approach to station-keeping on Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits has been proposed, which could significantly improve the accuracy and efficiency of navigation systems used in space exploration.
The concept of station-keeping involves maintaining a spacecraft’s position and velocity within a specific orbit or trajectory. In the case of Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits (NRHOs), this is particularly challenging due to their unique dynamics and instabilities. Traditional approaches often rely on single maneuver-per-revolution strategies, which can lead to phase drift and increased propellant consumption.
The proposed method uses a targeting Model Predictive Control (MPC) policy to achieve full-state tracking of the reference NRHO. By taking into account two maneuvers within its control horizon, the MPC ensures that the spacecraft remains within a tight tolerance of the baseline orbit. This is achieved through a recursive feasibility analysis, which checks whether the predicted state estimate lies within an ellipsoid about the baseline.
The control policy is designed to be robust against uncertainties in the navigation system and execution errors. A trigger condition is used to determine when a maneuver is necessary, based on the predicted state estimate at a future time. This approach allows for more precise tracking of the reference orbit, while also reducing the number of maneuvers required.
To test the effectiveness of this approach, a Monte-Carlo simulation was conducted using realistic error models and high-fidelity dynamics. The results showed that the proposed method achieved tighter tracking of the baseline orbit in both space and phase, with comparable cumulative maneuver costs to traditional approaches.
One of the key advantages of this approach is its ability to overcome the issue of uncontrolled drift in phase ahead or behind the tracked baseline. This is particularly important for NRHOs, where small errors can lead to significant deviations from the desired trajectory over time.
The proposed method has implications for a range of space missions, including the NASA Gateway program. By improving the accuracy and efficiency of navigation systems, this approach could enable more precise tracking of spacecraft trajectories and reduce the risk of mission failure due to navigation errors.
Overall, this innovative solution demonstrates the potential of Model Predictive Control techniques in addressing the complex challenges of station-keeping on NRHOs. As space agencies continue to push the boundaries of space exploration, such advancements will be critical in ensuring the success of future missions.
Cite this article: “Advanced Navigation Control for Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Spacecraft Navigation, Model Predictive Control, Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits, Station-Keeping, Navigation Systems, Space Exploration, Monte-Carlo Simulation, Error Models, Dynamics, Trajectory Tracking
