Gravitational towing of asteroids by spacecrafts with a solar sail as a propulsion system
Authors: Poluektov R.M., Skrob M.V.
Published in issue: #3(99)/2020
DOI: 10.18698/2308-6033-2020-3-1968
Category: Aviation and Rocket-Space Engineering | Chapter: Innovation Technologies of Aerospace Engineering
The paper considers the possibility of changing the orbit of potentially dangerous aste-roids using a gravity tractor. The concept of using spacecrafts equipped with a solar sail for gravitational towing is described. The analysis of this type spacecraft effectiveness is carried out on the example of changing the orbit of the Apophis asteroid. Software and mathematical support for modeling the joint motion of the asteroid-spacecraft system has been developed. The model was used to assess the impact of spacecraft with design features on the asteroid’s orbit over a long period of time. Several variants of the spacecraft configuration with different weight and sail design are considered. A comparative analysis of the results of using solar sail vehicles with similar vehicles using low-thrust jet engines is carried out.
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