Degree of Controllability of Solar Sail with Constrained Control in Artificial Lagrangian Orbits

Solar sailing is a novel technology that is still in its infancy, with great potential for a large number of missions that are not possible with conventional spacecraft. The degree of controllability of solar sail with constrained control inputs in artificial Lagrangian orbits is evaluated in this paper, using a method to compute the degree of controllability via system discretization. The results reveal that the controllability of solar sail varies depending on the location in the artificial Lagrangian orbits, as well as the constrained control inputs of the sail, which give us more quantitative information to better understand the characteristics of solar sail, and may help to improve the design of solar sails for future space missions.