Guidance for scatter-regather maneuvers of disaggregated satellites

Disaggregated satellites distribute the functionalities of a single monolithic satellite among multiple wirelessly linked heterogenous modules. One of the challenges of designing a disaggregated satellite cluster is the development of a guidance system that is suited to the diverse cluster operational requirements. This paper presents the development of a guidance approach for cluster deployment and scatter-regather maneuvering in the case of a space debris collision threat. Intermodule collision avoidance is included through the use of artificial potential functions to ensure safe operational distances. As opposed to previous studies, the artificial potential formulation directly addresses the issue of moving obstacles and includes the complete J₂-perturbed nonlinear dynamical model through a backstepping approach. Numerical simulations that include the effects of the zonal harmonics J₂ to J₅ are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed guidance law.