Satellite cluster flight using on-off cyclic control

•Developed a new satellite cluster orbit control law.•Introduced concept of cyclic cluster control with fixed-magnitude thrust.•Showed that cyclic cluster control law works for long time scales.•Proven stability properties of the closed-loop system.•Performed a comprehensive simulation study.

Nano-satellite clusters and disaggregated satellites are new concepts in the realm of distributed satellite systems, which require complex cluster management – mainly regulating the maximal and minimal inter-satellite distances on time scales of years – while utilizing simple on-off propulsion systems. The simple actuators and long time scales require judicious astrodynamical modeling coupled with specialized orbit control. This paper offers a satellite cluster orbit control law which works for long time scales in a perturbed environment while utilizing fixed-magnitude thrusters. The main idea is to design a distributed controller which balances the fuel consumption among the satellites, thus mitigating the effect of differential drag perturbations. The underlying methodology utilizes a cyclic control algorithm based on a mean orbital elements feedback. Stability properties of the closed-loop cyclic control system do not adhere to the classical Lyapunov stability theory, so an effort is made to define and implement a suitable stability theory of noncompact equilibria sets. A state selection scheme is proposed for efficiently establishing a low Earth orbit cluster. Several simulations, including a real mission study, and several comparative investigations, are performed to show the strengths of the proposed control law.