Investigation of alternative satellite constellation dispersion techniques utilizing momentum exchange tethers

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair

Jason Cassibry

Committee Member

Richard Tantaris

Committee Member

Gand Wang

Committee Member

Matt Turner

Research Advisor

Lawrence Dale Thomas

Subject(s)

Satellite constellations, Tethered satellites

Abstract

Satellite constellations have become an increasingly significant part of the space industry in recent years with the development and operation of next-generation networks such as Starlink, Iridium NEXT, OneWeb, and others. For these constellations to be established, extensive effort must be made to properly disperse and position each member satellite post-launch, typically involving costly propulsion solutions to properly position each satellite and long waiting periods for proper dispersion. Throughout the history of constellation deployments, standard practices of synchronized continuous-thrust altitude-change maneuvers executed by each satellite have been the norm, typically delaying full system coverage and operability by months after launch. These delays can lead to significant financial, strategic, and scientific setbacks for operators, who typically develop constellations for communications or reconnaissance applications where wide coverage is critical. Improvements to the deployment process in terms of reduced time or mass could lead to significant savings in effort and resources for operators across commercial, academic, and defense oriented system developers. Momentum exchange tethers (METs) offer an alternative means of deployment and are capable of alleviating some of these issues shortly after launch. This research explores design processes for orbits, maneuvers, and MET hardware to seek out improvements in terms of reduced dispersion time and mass to orbit, and acts as a formal introduction to this concept. A wide range of MET-based constellation mission configurations were developed and quantitatively compared against traditional mission configurations, giving insight into the application space where METs may be preferable over the utilization of onboard electric or chemical propulsion. The processes developed here seed a new unique application for MET technology with competitive edge over traditional propulsion systems, as well as new constellation deployment processes which could be applied around Earth and key locations such as the Moon or Mars. If pursued, MET-enabled improvements can have significant impacts on the development and deployment of future constellations, and as a result, space infrastructure as a whole.

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