Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-sxzjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T02:48:09.464Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Coverage Analysis of Lunar Communication/Navigation Constellations Based on Halo Orbits and Distant Retrograde Orbits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2020

Zhao-Yang Gao Open the ORCID record for Zhao-Yang Gao [Opens in a new window]  and
Xi-Yun Hou
Zhao-Yang Gao
Affiliation:
(School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing210023, China) (Institute of Space Environment and Astrodynamics, Nanjing University, Nanjing210023, China)
Xi-Yun Hou*
Affiliation:
(School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing210023, China) (Institute of Space Environment and Astrodynamics, Nanjing University, Nanjing210023, China)
*
(E-mail: houxiyun@nju.edu.cn)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

With more and more missions around the Moon, a communication/navigation constellation around the Moon is necessary. Halo orbits, due to their unique geometry, are extensively studied by researchers for this purpose. A dedicated survey is carried out in this work to analyse the coverage ability of halo orbits. It is found that a two-satellite constellation is enough for continuous one-fold coverage of the north or the south polar regions but never both. A three-satellite constellation is enough for continuous one-fold coverage of both north and south polar regions. A four-satellite constellation can cover nearly 100% of the whole lunar surface. In addition, the coverage ability of another special orbit – distant retrograde orbit (DRO) – is analysed for the first time in this study. It is found that three satellites on DROs can cover 99·8% of the lunar surface, with coverage gaps at polar caps. A four-satellite constellation moving on spatial DROs can cover nearly the whole lunar surface. By combining halo orbits and DROs, we design a five-satellite constellation composed of three halo orbit satellites and two DRO satellites. This constellation can provide 100% continuous one-fold coverage of the whole lunar surface.

Keywords

Satellite NavigationCislunar NavigationLibration PointSatellite Constellation
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Navigation , Volume 73 , Issue 4 , July 2020 , pp. 932 - 952
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Arnold, V. I. (2013). Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics. Vol. 60. Springer Science & Business Media, New York.Google Scholar
Bezrouk, C. and Parker, J. S. (2017). Long term evolution of distant retrograde orbits in the Earth–Moon system. Astrophysics and Space Science, 362(9), 176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carpenter, J. R., Folta, D., Moreau, M. and Quinn, D. (2004). Libration Point Navigation Concepts Supporting the Vision for Space Exploration. AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference and Exhibit, 4747.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Circi, C., Romagnoli, D. and Fumenti, F. (2014). Halo orbit dynamics and properties for a lunar global positioning system design. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 442(4), 3511–3527.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coderre, K. M., Edwards, C., Cichan, T., Richey, D., Shupe, N., Sabolish, D., Ramm, S., Perkes, B., Posey, J. and Pratt, W. (2018). Concept of Operations for the Gateway. 2018 SpaceOps Conference, 2464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, D., Bhatt, S., Howell, K., Jang, J.-W. J., Whitley, R., Clark, F. D., Guzzetti, D., Zimovan, E. and Barton, G. H. (2017). Orbit maintenance and navigation of human spacecraft at cislunar near rectilinear halo orbits.Google Scholar
Ely, T. (2005). Stable constellations of frozen elliptical inclined lunar orbits. Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, 53, 301–316.Google Scholar
Ely, T. and Lieb, E. (2006). Constellations of elliptical inclined lunar orbits providing polar and global coverage. Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, 54, 53–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fan, M., Hu, X., Dong, G., Huang, Y., Cao, J., Tang, C., Li, P., Chang, S. and Yu, Y. (2015). Orbit improvement for Chang'E-5T lunar returning probe with GNSS technique. Advances in Space Research, 56(11), 2473–2482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farquhar, R. W. (1967). Lunar communications with libration-point satellites. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 4(10), 1383–1384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gómez, G. (2001). Dynamics and Mission Design Near Libration Points: Fundamentals – The Case of Collinear Libration Points. Vol. 1. World Scientific, Singapore.Google Scholar
Gómez, G., Masdemont, J. and Simó, C. (1998). Quasihalo orbits associated with libration points. Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, 46(2), 135–176.Google Scholar
Grebow, D. J., Ozimek, M. T., Howell, K. C. and Folta, D. C. (2008). Multibody orbit architectures for lunar south pole coverage. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 45(2), 344–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamera, K., Mosher, T., Gefreh, M., Paul, R., Slavkin, L. and Trojan, J. (2008). An Evolvable Lunar Communication and Navigation Constellation Concept. 2008 IEEE Aerospace Conference. IEEE, 1–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henrard, J. (2002). The web of periodic orbits at L4. Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, 83(1), 291–302. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020124323302CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hou, X.-Y. and Liu, L. (2013). Bifurcating families around collinear libration points. Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, 116(3), 241–263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hou, X.-Y., Xin, X. and Feng, J. (2018). Genealogy and stability of periodic orbit families around uniformly rotating asteroids. Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulations, 56, 93–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorba, A. and Masdemont, J. (1999). Dynamics in the center manifold of the collinear points of the restricted three body problem. Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, 132(1-2), 189–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kinoshita, H. and Nakai, H. (2007). Quasi-satellites of jupiter. Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, 98(3), 181–189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lang, T. J. and Meyer, J. L. (1995). A New Six Satellite Constellation for Optimal Continuous Global Coverage. Spaceflight Mechanics 1995, 1451–1458.Google Scholar
Li, C., Wang, C., Wei, Y. and Lin, Y. (2019). China's present and future lunar exploration program. Science, 365(6450), 238–239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, P., Hu, X., Huang, Y., Wang, G., Jiang, D., Zhang, X., Cao, J. and Xin, N. (2012). Orbit determination for Chang'E-2 lunar probe and evaluation of lunar gravity models. Science China Physics, Mechanics and Astronomy, 55(3), 514–522.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, H., Cao, J., Cheng, X., Peng, J. and Tang, G. (2017). The data processing and analysis for the CE-5T1 GNSS experiment. Advances in Space Research, 59(3), 895–906.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, P., Hou, X.-Y., Tang, J.-S. and Liu, L. (2014). Application of two special orbits in the orbit determination of lunar satellites. Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 14(10), 1307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marcos, C. and Marcos, R. (2016). Asteroid (469219) 2016 HO3, the smallest and closest Earth quasi-satellite. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 462(4), 3441–3456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meng, Y.-H. and Chen, Q.-F. (2014). Outline design and performance analysis of navigation constellation near Earth–Moon libration point. Acta Physica Sinica, 63(24), 248402.Google Scholar
Ren, Y. and Shan, J. (2013). Libration point orbits for lunar global positioning systems. Advances in Space Research, 51(7), 1065–1079.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richardson, D. L. (1980). Analytic construction of periodic orbits about the collinear points. Celestial Mechanics, 22(3), 241–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Romagnoli, D. and Circi, C. (2010). Lissajous trajectories for lunar global positioning and communication systems. Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, 107(4), 409–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shammas, V. and Holen, T. B. (2019). One giant leap for capitalistkind: Private enterprise in outer space. Palgrave Communications, 5(1), 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Szebehely, V. (1967). Theory of orbits: The restricted problem of three bodies. Technical report, Yale University, New Haven, CT.Google Scholar
Xu, M. and Xu, S. (2009). Exploration of distant retrograde orbits around moon. Acta Astronautica, 65(5-6), 853–860.Google Scholar
Zhang, L. and Xu, B. (2014). A universe light house – candidate architectures of the libration point satellite navigation system. Journal of Navigation, 67(5), 737–752.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: Image

Gao and Hou supplementary material

Gao and Hou supplementary material

Download Gao and Hou supplementary material(Image)
Image 1.3 MB