On the Influence of Power Corrective Propulsion Low-Orbit Spacecraft in His Active Lifetime
The use of low-orbit SPACECRAFT involves the need to maintain their orbital altitude by compensating the drag force with the help of a corrective propulsion system (CDU). The problem becomes optimization due to the fact that for small SPACECRAFT (weighing up to 1000 kg) the active lifetime (SAS) depends both on the specific impulse of the electric propulsion system (ERD), and consequently on the power of the onboard power plant of the SPACECRAFT, and on the stock of the working fluid on Board. In the work on the basis of energy-mass analysis of low-orbit small SPACECRAFT with ERD on the basis of electrothermal RD with additional energy supply, a system of equations is obtained that allows to calculate the SAS and determine the optimal configuration of the SPACECRAFT. The results are of interest to developers of small low-orbit SPACECRAFT and electric propulsion systems.