Chaotic behaviors of an in-plane tethered satellite system with elasticity

The existence and identification of chaos regarding in-plane pitch motions of tethered satellite systems are scientific problems of concern, and are directly related to normal system operations in the station-keeping phase. This paper studies the effect of microamplitude longitudinal oscillation on the occurrence of chaos in a tethered system subjected to atmospheric perturbations. Based on a simplified rod model that considers tether elasticity and satellite masses, the Melnikov method is used to identify a criterion that can predict chaos, and a chaotic zone is further proposed to recognize the relationship between the chaos and system parameters. Then the cell mapping method is used to describe the system's global dynamic behaviors, including chaos. A discrete model of the flexible system that consists of particles connected by massless springs and satellite rigid bodies is structured so that more accurate dynamic simulations can be used to verify the theoretical analysis. Finally, numerical examples demonstrate that the chaotic zone and criterion expression are useful tools for revealing chaos. The relationship between the dynamics and system parameters is also assessed. The results of the simplified model agree with those of the sophisticated model. •A chaotic criterion and a chaotic zone on a tethered satellite system are proposed.•The relationship between the dynamics and system parameters is estimated.•The global dynamic characteristics of the system are revealed via cell mapping.