Distributed Satellite Interferometer Track Design

Separated Spacecraft Interferometer (SSI) implements earth observation by formation flying, in which satellite formation is made up of several collectors and one combiner. The collectors collect light wave from observing targets, and direct the wave to the combiner to make real-time interference. Then the combiner deals with the interference fringes to extract the amplitude and phase information, and yields some of the image information by image reconstruction.SSI restrains satellite geometry configuration when imaging by interference. Simultaneously, SSI is restrained by earth environmental force. The mission of orbit design in SSI is to analyze how to satisfy restrained satellite geometry configuration in earth environment. Therefore, some researches are taken out in following respects:1.Conception, application advantage of formation flying, current status of interferometry by formation flying, and main researching contents in SSI.2.Basic principles of SSI, and the requirements of interference mode, measuring baseline, imaging mode, formation configuration and inter-satellite measuring precision.3.The limitations of C-W equation are pointed out, main relative motion models are analyzed, and a new nonlinearity measure index for formation flying relative motion models is put forward, then the relative motion models are measured using the new index.4.The orbit design method in SSI is pointed out, and geometry configuration limitation in SSI is analyzed. A relative motion model is selected by nonlinearity measuring, which is named orbit elements difference. Taking the geometry configuration limitation and the relative motion model as input, the orbit of SSI is designed.5.The motion character of approximate geosynchronous orbit is analyzed, implementing methods of formation flying in geosynchronous orbit is pointed out, and the orbit of SSI in geosynchronous orbit is designed.6.The influence of interferometric survey due to short period item of J2 perturbation is analyzed, and the lack of u-v coverage due to J2 perturbation is pointed out.