超低轨吸气式电推进飞行器维轨关键问题探讨与展望

Discussion and prospects of key issues on orbit maintenance for ultra-low Earth orbit air breathing electric propulsion spacecraft

气动阻力过大导致的轨道快速衰减问题是超低轨飞行器面临的主要挑战,需采用发动机推力进行阻力补偿,而能否产生充足的净推力是超低轨飞行器任务成败的关键.介绍了吸气式电推进飞行器的阻力情况和混合工质离子发动机的推力情况及主要影响要素,提出了有关减少阻力及增加推力的几点建议.基于吸气式电推进飞行器长期维轨及可能的轨道调整需求,建议采取最大净推力及最大推阻比两种构型设计方案.针对空间环境变化带来推力器性能不足的问题,分析了基于蓄电池调节和储气调节这两种方式的优缺点及各自适用范围.就吸气式电推进长期维轨需要的关键技术及涉及的科学问题进行了讨论,并给出了未来研究方向以供参考.

The rapid decay of the orbit caused by excessive aerodynamic drag is a major challenge for ultra-low orbit spacecraft,which requires engine thrust compensation,while abundant net thrust is the key to the success of ultra-low orbit flight.The state of the thrust and key factors of drag and thrust for air breathing electric propulsion spacecraft engine were presented,and several proposals for drag reduction and thrust increase were proposed.For the long-term orbit maintenance and potential orbit adjustment requirements of air breathing electric propulsion spacecraft,two configuration design schemes based on maximum net thrust and maximum thrust-to-drag ratio were presented.To address the problem of inadequate engine performance caused by changes in the space environment,adjustments to the duration and operating conditions of the engine through battery and gas storage devices were proposed,as well as their respective ranges of applicability.The key technologies and scientific issues related to long-term orbit maintenance for air breathing electric propulsion were discussed.Future research directions are provided for reference.