SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING THE DEPLOYMENT OF SPACECRAFT REQUIRED TO FLY IN FORMATION, BY SIMULTANEOUS AND HIGH-PRECISION DETERMINATION OF THEIR POSITIONS

摘要

A system is dedicated to controlling the deployment of at least two spacecraft (ES1, ES2) provided with manoeuvring means (MD1, MD2) and intended to move according to a chosen formation. This system comprises a control device (MM11, MM12, MT, MC1) comprising i) first measurement means (MM11, MM12, MT) responsible for determining substantially simultaneously and with high accuracy the orbital positions of the spacecraft (ES1, ES2), and ii) first calculation means (MC1) responsible for determining for each of the spacecraft, as a function of their orbital positions, manoeuvres intended to position each of them at a chosen instant substantially at a position chosen with respect to a reference trajectory, having regard to the temporal law for a reference craft (ES1) on this reference trajectory (TR), so as to place the formation in a chosen configuration.