Static and Dynamic Torque Generation Analysis of a Cable-Actuated Solar Sail

TL;DR

This paper analyzes static and dynamic torque generation in a cable-actuated solar sail system, demonstrating how tensioning cables can produce significant SRP torques for momentum control, with simulations validating the approach.

Contribution

It introduces a novel cable tensioning mechanism for solar sails, providing a detailed dynamic model and simulation results for effective momentum management.

Findings

Large SRP torques can be generated by cable tensioning.

The system can reliably produce control torques despite sail shape uncertainties.

Compared favorably to existing active mass translator technology.

Abstract

This paper presents a static and dynamic torque analysis of the CABLESSail concept, which involves cables routed along the length of the flexible booms that hold the solar sail membrane in such a manner that tensioning the cables results in a bending deformation of the booms. This provides a mechanism where actuation of the cables can be used to create an imbalance in solar radiation pressure (SRP) on the sail and thus, impart SRP torques that can be used for momentum management of the solar sail. Simulation results are included that demonstrate how large SRP torques can be induced by tensioning the solar sail's cables, which can be used for momentum management. Comparisons to the existing active mass translator technology are included, along with simulations demonstrating the ability to reliably generate control torques in the presence of an uncertain sail membrane shape. An appendix contains a detailed derivation of the cable-actuated solar sail dynamic model used in this work.