Flight Dynamics Challenges of the German On-Orbit Servicing Mission DEOS

Kurzfassung

On-orbit servicing missions build a novel class of spacecraft missions. In such kind of missions a spacecraft (servicer) is launched into an orbit of another spacecraft (client). The servicer is navigated to the client with the intention to manipulate it in a predefined manner. Both approach and coupling of two spacecraft in orbit lead to various challenges in the area of space flight dynamics. This paper describes such a scenario based upon a phase-A study of the envisaged German on-orbit servicing mission DEOS.