Spacecraft Formation Flying

8.3 Dynamic Model Error Effect Comparison

When designing control and navigation subsystems for a satellite formation, one of the key–and challenging–questions that must be answered is which relative motion theory should be used. The answer to this question is dependent on the reference, or chief, orbit, the size and type of the formation and the required accuracy of the state knowledge and control.

Numerous linear and nonlinear theories have been presented in the literature. The theories compared in this section are the CW and TH equations, discussed in Chapter 5; the GA theory [75], presented in Section 7.3; a small eccentricity version of the GA theory; and two nonlinear theories, the unit-sphere approach, presented in Section 7.1, and the Yan–Alfriend ...