Transfers with a rendezvous lasting no more than one orbit between close near-circular coplanar orbits

Consideration has been given to orbit transfers involving spacecraft rendezvous which belong to a class of coplanar non-intersecting near-circular orbits of a spacecraft and a space station. The duration of the transfer is assumed to be limited by one orbit. The feasibility of a rendezvous using an optimal two-burn orbit-to-orbit transfer is studied. To determine a single free parameter of the transfer, i.e. the time of its start, ensuring a rendezvous at a given time or at a given velocity at the end of transfer, appropriate equations have been obtained To implement in the guidance algorithms optimal three-burn correction programs are proposed to achieve a rendezvous at a given time with a specified relative velocity at the moment of spacecraft contact. A range of phase differences at the start of maneuvering is determined, within which the characteristic velocity of the rendezvous is equal to the minimum characteristic velocity of the orbit-to-orbit transfer. The paper presents simulation results for “quick" rendezvous profiles that use the proposed programs. Key words: spacecraft, orbital station, “quick” rendezvous, orbit transfer, rendezvous program.