The electrodynamic tether (EDT) is a type of propulsion system that uses the geomagnetic field and ionospheric plasma and has the potential to conduct a space-debris removal mission without consuming a large amount of propellant. To understand the dynamic properties of the bare EDT system, an orbital dynamic model based on a detailed environmental space model and the real discharge characteristics of a hollow cathode plasma contactor (HCPC) was built. By numerical simulation, the differences in the bare tether performance caused by various orbital conditions and HCPC voltage models (at constant or various voltages) were compared and discussed. The results suggest that dynamic distinctions generated by the two bias voltage models increased as the latitude increased from 0° to 60°.

电动系链（EDT）是一种使用地磁场和电离层等离子体的推进系统，具有执行空间碎片清除任务的潜力，而无需消耗大量推进剂。为了了解裸露的EDT系统的动力学特性，建立了基于详细环境空间模型和空心阴极等离子体接触器（HCPC）实际放电特性的轨道动力学模型。通过数值模拟，比较和讨论了由各种轨道条件和HCPC电压模型（在恒定或各种电压下）引起的裸绳性能的差异。结果表明，当纬度从0°增加到60°时，两个偏置电压模型生成的动态区别增加。