Micro-Newton scale variable thrust control technique and its noise problem for drag-free satellite platforms:a review

High-precision detection in fundamental space physics,such as space gravitational wave detection,high-precision earth gravity field measurement,and reference frame drag effect measurement,is the key to achieving important breakthroughs in the scientific study of fundamental space physics.Acquiring high-precision measurements requires high-performance satellite platforms to achieve“drag-free control”in a near“pure gravity”flight environment.The critical technology for drag-free control is variable thrust control at the micro-Newton scale.Thrust noise is the most important technical indicator for achieving drag-free flight.However,there is no literature about the current status and future prospects of variable thrust control based on thrust noise.Therefore,the micro-Newton variable thrust control technology and the thrust noise of the drag-free satellite platform are reviewed in this work.Firstly,the research status of micro-Newton scale variable thrust control technology and its applications to drag-free satellite platforms are introduced.Then,the noise problem is analyzed in detail and its solution is theoretically investigated in three aspects:“cross-basin flow problem,”“control problem,”and“system instability and multiple-coupled problem.”Finally,a systematic overview is presented and the corresponding suggested directions of research are discussed.This work provides detailed understanding and support for realizing low-noise variable thrust control in the next generation of drag-free satellites.

Current Status and Main Scientific Outcomes of the CSES Mission

This report briefly introduces the current status of the CSES(China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite)mission which includes the first satellite CSES 01 in-orbit(launched in February 2018),and the second satellite CSES 02(will be launched in 2023)under development.The CSES 01 has been steadily operating in orbit for over four years,providing abundant global geophysical field data,including the background geomagnetic field,the electromagnetic field and wave,the plasma(in-situ and profile data),and the energetic particles in the ionosphere.The CSES 01 platform and the scientific instruments generally perform well.The data validation and calibration are vital for CSES 01,for it aims to monitor earthquakes by extracting the very weak seismic precursors from a relatively disturbing space electromagnetic environment.For this purpose,we are paying specific efforts to validate data quality comprehensively.From the CSES 01 observations,we have obtained many scientific results on the ionosphere electromagnetic environment,the seismo-ionospheric disturbance phenomena,the space weather process,and the Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere coupling mechanism.