A comparison of solar sail control methods in geosynchronous transfer orbits

Several important applications for solar sails involve operating in planetary orbits, requiring significantly greater control authority than in solar orbits. Most research in sail trajectories assumes that rotational and translational dynamics can be decoupled- that is, the sail can perfectly track the commanded orientation. This study tests that assumption for three sail control methods under the demanding rotational requirements of Earth escape. Simulation indicates that both center-of-mass (CM) and center-of-pressure (CP) control methods are sufficient, though difficult to implement. A hybrid CM/CP control method is devised and demonstrated a successful and feasible method of decoupling rotational and translational dynamics.