(Preprint) AAS 09-392 A PEER-TO-PEER REFUELING STRATEGY USING LOW-THRUST PROPULSION

The problem of minimum-fuel, time-fixed, low-thrust rendezvous is addressed with the particular aim of developing a solver to determine optimal low-thrust Peer-to-Peer (P2P) maneuvers, which will be an integral part of distributed lowthrust servicing missions for multiple satellites. We develop the solver based on an indirect optimization technique and utilize the well-known shooting method to solve the two-point boundary value problems associated with the forward and return trips of a P2P maneuver. We finally demonstrate the application of the tool in determination of the optimal P2P maneuvers required for a low-thrust P2P mission for multiple satellites moving in a circular orbit. The development of this solver is a first step in the direction of studying low-thrust servicing missions for multiple satellites in circular constellations.