Quaternion-Based Coordinates for Nonsingular modeling of high-inclination orbital transfer

Abstract

Recently, the potential of electric propulsion (EP) for orbit transfer of scientific or commercial satellites has begun to be recognized both by satellite manufacturers and providers [1,2]. The increasing interest in EP to perform primary maneuvers for geocentric missions (until now, under the domain of chemical propulsion) is first motivated by the potential mass savings this technology enables due to the high Isp and more efficient propellant management compared to conventional chemical rockets. This mass saving directly translates into more room for payload or the possibility of using smaller (and thus less expensive) launch vehicles.