基于吸气式电推进的超低轨飞行系统分析

ANALYSIS OF VERY-LOW EARTH ORBIT FLIGHT SYSTEM BASED ON AIR-BREATHING ELECTRIC PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY

超低地球轨道(超低轨,VLEO)飞行器对于高质量通讯、地球与空间科学观测具有重要意义.为了克服超低轨区域的高层大气阻力,使飞行器长期在轨飞行,吸气式电推进(ABEP)飞行器的概念被提出并被广泛研究.文章首先分析了吸气式电推进飞行器在150 km高度轨道的主要飞行约束,包括归一化的工质平衡和能量平衡,并提出了影响飞行器超低轨维持的主要因素.为了使有效载荷飞行器长期维持在150 km附近超低轨高度并保持一定的载荷有效覆盖率,提出了两种超低轨飞行系统方案,包括基于无线能量传输技术构建的飞行系统和近地点150 km椭圆轨道飞行系统.计算了相应的轨道高度限制并考虑有效载荷地面覆盖率给出了星座构建方案,评估了上述两种方案的可行性与综合效果.两种方案中,有效载荷均可以在150 km附近的轨道高度内长期维持地面覆盖率,可以为超低轨长期稳定的通讯网络构建、对地观测和相关科学实验提供条件.

Very-low Earth orbit(VLEO)spacecrafts are important for high-quality communications and Earth and space science observations.In order to overcome the upper atmospheric drag in the very-low orbit region and make the spacecraft steadily stay in orbit,the concept of air-breathing electric propulsion(ABEP)spacecraft was proposed and a series of related studies were produced.In this paper,the main flight constraints of air-breathing electric propulsion spacecrafts in orbit at an altitude of 150 km,including the normalized working fluid balance and energy balance,are analyzed,and the main factors affecting the very-low orbit maintenance of the spacecraft are proposed.In order to maintain the payload spacecraft in the very-low orbit altitude range(around 150 km)for a long time and maintain a certain payload coverage,this paper proposes two very-low orbit flight system schemes,including a flight system based on wireless power transfer technology and a 150 km-Perigee elliptical orbit flight system.The corresponding orbital height limit is calculated and the constellation construction scheme is given considering the payload ground coverage,and the feasibility and effects of the above two schemes are evaluated.In both schemes,the payload can maintain longterm ground coverage within an orbital altitude around 150 km,which can provide conditions for the construction of long-term stable communication networks,Earth observation,and scientific experiments in VLEO.