Controlling Flight from Earth to Jupiter by Solar-Sail Spacecraft in Realistic Mode

Several researchers have studied the heliocentric motion control of a spacecraft that uses a perfectly reflecting solar sail. The increasing interest in solar-sail spacecraft has heightened the need to consider the possibility of implementing a long heliocentric flight in real conditions. A central issue in solar-sail”s motion is the impact of the sail-surface degradation on the feasibility of the mission as a whole. In this paper., the authors consider the Earth-Jupiter flight carried out by the solar-sail spacecraft with real optical characteristics. The described method of designing interplanetary missions is based on a combination of locally optimal control laws and allows ensuring the implementation of restrictions on the maximum surface temperature., the maximum angular velocity of rotation of the spacecraft and many others. In particular., we took into account the degradation of the surface of the sail at the level of 50 percent for three years of the spacecraft in earth orbit. The results of the simulation show the feasibility of such a flight even with a given., rather high degradation damage.