Mission analysis for PROBA-3 nominal operations

•We examine the nominal orbit routine and the formation deployment for the PROBA-3 formation flying mission.•The nominal orbit routine consists of a free-flying perigee pass and a forced motion formation flying arc around apogee.•Formation deployment is performed by means of impulsive maneuvers provided by the ground segment.•We provide the ΔV׳s and safety characteristics of all maneuvers and trajectories during these phases.•We demonstrate that the two phases are safe and that the ΔV required is acceptable.

This paper reports the phase B mission analysis work performed for the nominal operations of the PROBA-3 formation flying mission. PROBA-3 will perform formation flying in a highly elliptical orbit, and perform Solar coronagraphy and formation maneuvering demonstrations in a 6 h region around apogee. This paper addresses the nominal orbit and the initial deployment of the formation and focuses on feasibility and ΔV requirements, including trade-offs between alternatives. Challenging constraints are the absence of an omnidirectional sensor, and the requirement that the spacecraft cannot turn more than 30° away from the Sun due to thermal and power constraints.