Application of Analytic Solution in Relative Motion to Spacecraft Formation Flying in Elliptic Orbit

The current paper presents application of a new analytic solution in general relative motion to spacecraft formation flying in an elliptic orbit. The calculus of variations is used to analytically find optimal trajectories and controls for the given problem. The inverse of the fundamental matrix associated with the dynamic equations is not required for the solution in the current study. It is verified that the optimal thrust vector is a function of the fundamental matrix of the given state equations. The cost function and the state vector during the reconfiguration can be analytically obtained as well. The results predict the form of optimal solutions in advance without having to solve the problem. Numerical simulation shows the brevity and the accuracy of the general analytic solutions developed in the current paper.