V. Coverstonecarroll et Je. Prussing, OPTIMAL COOPERATIVE POWER-LIMITED RENDEZVOUS BETWEEN NEIGHBORING CIRCULAR ORBITS, Journal of guidance, control, and dynamics, 16(6), 1993, pp. 1045-1054
A minimum-fuel rendezvous of two power-limited spacecraft is investiga
ted. Both vehicles are active and provide thrust to complete the rende
zvous. Total propellant consumption is minimized. Analytical solutions
are obtained for cooperative rendezvous in the linearized Hill-Clohes
sy-Wiltshire gravity field. The optimal solutions depend in a complica
ted way on the power-to-mass ratios of the spacecraft, the initial orb
its, and the specified transfer time. For comparison purposes, analyti
cal solutions for active-passive rendezvous in the linearized gravity
field are also determined. Cooperative rendezvous requires smaller tot
al propellant consumption, resulting in greater payload capability.