Workshop to highlight NASA's support for mobility, in-space servicing
Friday, 03 November 2023 02:53
NASA welcomes Netherlands as newest Artemis Accords signatory
Friday, 03 November 2023 02:53
Jurassic worlds might be easier to spot than modern Earth
Friday, 03 November 2023 02:53
Scorching, seven-planet system revealed by new Kepler Exoplanet list
Friday, 03 November 2023 02:53
Black holes are messy eaters
Friday, 03 November 2023 02:53
Scholars Probe Lunar Mysteries: Solar Wind Interaction Explored
Friday, 03 November 2023 02:53
Three-Body Tethered Satellite System Deploys Successfully in Simulations
Friday, 03 November 2023 02:53
Science in Space: Robotic Helpers
Friday, 03 November 2023 02:53
ESA hones 3D Printed electromagnetic coils for spaceflight
Friday, 03 November 2023 02:53
Researchers find gravitational lensing has significant effect on cosmic birefringence
Friday, 03 November 2023 02:53
SpaceRake wins $1.8 million in SDA funding for optical communications terminals
Thursday, 02 November 2023 23:15

Virgin Galactic carries researchers on fifth commercial suborbital flight
Thursday, 02 November 2023 22:27

Space Force takes over missile-warning ground stations previously run by the Army
Thursday, 02 November 2023 21:47

Viasat cutting global workforce by 10% after Inmarsat acquisition
Thursday, 02 November 2023 20:57

Scientists describe deployment of three-body chain-type tethered satellites in low-eccentricity orbits
Thursday, 02 November 2023 19:46
Recently, the tethered satellite system (TSS) has been used in Earth observations, space interferometry and other space missions, due to its potential merits. The tethered TSAR (tomographic synthetic aperture radar) system is a group of tethered SAR satellites that can be rapidly deployed and provide a stable baseline for 3-dimensional topographic mapping and moving target detection.
Successful deployment is critical for TSAR tethered systems.
Several control methods, including length, length rate, tension, and thrust-aided control, have been proposed over the years. Among them, adjusting tension is a viable yet challenging approach due to the tether's strong nonlinearity and underactuated traits.
Current tether deployment schemes focus on two-body TSS, with little emphasis on multi-TSSs. In a research article recently published in Space: Science & Technology, a research team led by Zhongjie Meng from Northwestern Polytechnical University has developed a new deployment strategy for a 3-body chain-type tethered satellite system in a low-eccentric elliptical orbit.