The study of relative dynamics for spacecraft formation flying in eccentric orbits

Spacecraft formation flying is a key technology for future astronautics. The relative dynamics of formation flying in eccentric orbits is studied, and the relative motion between spacecrafts is analyzed in this paper. Based on the two‐body problem, the extension of Hill equations is achieved and used in relative dynamics of eccentric orbits. Moreover, the transformation of differential variables is applied, and the algebraic solution of the relative motion is obtained, which can be generally used for spacecraft formation flying in eccentric orbits. In addition, the analysis and numerical simulations are given for the relative motion of spacecraft formation flying. The results demonstrate that each spacecraft in eccentric orbits can run in a periodic motion surrounding the master spacecraft under some conditions. And multiple spacecraft can also set up some special formations according to missions.