Closed-Loop Charged Relative Motion Experiments Simulating Constrained Orbital Motion

Coulomb spacecraft actively control their potential through continuous charge emission, generating inter spacecraft electrostatic forces for formation control This paper presents experimental results of autonomous relative motion control with Coulomb forces Tests are performed in a terrestrial environment without resorting to expensive vacuum or plasma chambers A simple charge feedback control algorithm is successfully implemented, yielding the first experimental closed loop charged relative motion results The results demonstrate how the one dimensional test track mimics the constrained spacecraft orbital motion along the orbit radial, along track, or out-of plane directions These dynamic systems are replicated by either leveling the test track or adding a small tilt to bias the relative motion in one direction The relative motion is controlled by the dominant Coulomb forces even in the presence of induced bias and unknown perturbations This paper quantifies primary disturbances and highlights the suitability of the vacuum force model to atmospheric force generation