Thrust vector control of the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter spacecraft

In NASA's proposed Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter mission's baseline spacecraft, attitude and orbital dynamics interactions are present due to the designed low-thrust trajectory. In order to investigate this coupling, which originates due to the thrust vectoring control, sensitivity analyses and simulation studies were carried out using complex orbital and attitude dynamics models describing the vehicle's dynamics arising during the low-thrust spiraling maneuvers of the spacecraft. The results of these studies point out that a new approach is needed to integrate the trajectory design and the attitude control.