A method for autonomously controlling electric power supplied to a thruster of a spacecraft during electric orbit raising includes determining a state of charge of a battery onboard the spacecraft at an entry into an eclipse during each orbit of a plurality of orbits during the electric orbit raising of the spacecraft. The method also includes determining an electric power level used to fire each thruster of a plurality of thrusters during each orbit beginning after the eclipse, based at least on the state of charge of the battery, and that will provide a shortest electric orbit raising duration and minimize thruster propellant usage during electric orbit raising.
Autonomous control of electric power supplied to a thruster during electric orbit raising
2022-08-02
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
AUTONOMOUS CONTROL OF ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLIED TO A THRUSTER DURING ELECTRIC ORBIT RAISING
European Patent Office | 2020
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