Eclipse avoidance in TianQin orbit selection

TL;DR

This paper proposes orbit design strategies for TianQin to avoid eclipses caused by Earth's and Moon's shadows, ensuring thermal stability and constellation stability over a 5-year mission.

Contribution

It introduces initial phase selection and orbit resizing methods to effectively prevent eclipses while maintaining constellation stability in TianQin's high orbits.

Findings

Eclipse-free orbits can be maintained during 3+3 month observation windows.

A permitted initial phase range of approximately 15 degrees was identified.

Orbit resizing to 1:8 synodic resonance with the Moon helps avoid eclipses.

Abstract

In future geocentric space-based gravitational-wave observatory missions, eclipses due to passing through the Moon's and Earth's shadows can negatively impact the sciencecraft's thermal stability and steady power supply. The occurrence should be reduced as much as possible in orbit design. In regard to TianQin's circular high orbits, we tackle the combined challenges of avoiding eclipses and stabilizing the nearly equilateral-triangle constellation. Two strategies are proposed, including initial phase selection and orbit resizing to 1:8 synodic resonance with the Moon, where the latter involves slightly raising TianQin's preliminary orbital radius of $1\times 10^5$ km to $\sim 100900$ km. As the result, we have identified pure-gravity target orbits with a permitted initial phase range of $\sim 15^\circ$, which can maintain eclipse-free during the 3+3 month observation windows throughout a 5-year mission started in 2034, and meanwhile fulfil the constellation stability requirements. Thereby the eclipse issue for TianQin can be largely resolved.