At the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) and RSC Energia, a new algorithm has been developed for controlling the orientation and docking engines to the orbital station on board the Russian lunar spacecraft PTK NP. The development will help optimize the flight path and reduce fuel consumption.
The proposed algorithm will automatically select the desired configuration of the involved power plants, as well as the strength and duration of their impulse, based on data about the position of the spacecraft in space. This will allow performing the desired angular maneuver or correcting the trajectory of the spacecraft.
PTK NP (formerly known as "Federatsiya" and "Orel") is a promising manned transport spacecraft of a new generation. It is equipped with two powerful main engines with a thrust of 20 thousand Newtons. The spacecraft has 30 orientation engines with a thrust of 248 Newtons, designed to correct the orbit and maneuver near the future lunar station.
The key feature of the new algorithm is the ability to individually control each of the engines. This optimizes fuel consumption and allows for more precise control of the speed and direction of the spacecraft.
The onboard computer will update the engine operation scheme every 0.2 seconds to improve controllability. The algorithm is also capable of controlling the movement of the center of mass and angular maneuvers.
The developed approaches can also be applied to other spacecraft for docking and maneuvering modules of the future Russian orbital station.
The PTK NP spacecraft is designed to deliver people and cargo to space stations in near-Earth orbit and is part of the Russian lunar program. It should replace the manned spacecraft of the Soyuz series and will be able to stay in the orbital station for up to a year, and in the lunar orbital station - up to 180 days. In autonomous flight, the orbital modification will be able to function for up to 30 days, and the lunar one - up to 10 days.
Earlier www1.ru reported that a simulator for modeling the unmanned flight of the ship will be built at the Cosmonaut Training Center.
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