抄録
This paper discusses elliptic formation control of spinning tethered formation flying system. A virtual structure method is applied to control the formation, and a simple operation of an expansion ratio of the virtual structure is proposed to achieve the formation. Two types of elliptic formation are treated in this paper. One is the formation in which three spacecraft are placed on a same elliptic trajectory. The other is the elliptic formation in which each spacecraft draws an each elliptic trajectory. Accuracy of the formation, thruster force and tether tension during elliptic formation are considered with numerical simulations. From the results, these elliptic formations conclude to be useful in some situations.
