Preliminary on-orbit maneuver analysis for responsive space applications

One solution to meet the recent interest within the US government for more responsive space systems is the ability for increased on-orbit manuever. To date, responsive launch has been the primary approach for providing responsive space capabilities; however, spacecraft with significant delta V can also provide very meaningful capabilities through on-orbit maneuver. With the correct initial orbital conditions, spacecraft maneuvers can provide much of the same utility as responsive launch for less than 100 m/s of velocity change, without launching a new rocket and spacecraft. The difficulty is determining the correct orbit and concept of operations that provides the right level of flexibility to be responsive to user needs. This paper examines the types of orbits that are most effective for these new applications. Preliminary results show that small burns can hasten or delay a pass, work to change the orbital plane to something more suitable for a given theater, or change the time over target and geometry within the theater. These results suggest that such an employment of space power can indeed be very useful, offering additional capabilities that responsive launch in itself cannot match and warrants additional investigation