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    System design and key technologies of No.4 land exploration satellite 01
    ZHANG Qingjun, NI Chong, DAI Chao, LIU Liping, TANG Zhihua, SHU Weiping
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (1): 1-11.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0001
    Abstract1143)      PDF(pc) (8217KB)(1136)      
    In order to solve the problem of small imaging width and long revisiting time of low orbit SAR,China developed the No.4 land exploration satellite 01,which is a scientific satellite in the medium and long term development plan of national civil space infrastructure (2015-2025),and is the world′s first geosynchronous SAR satellite.Using the advantages of the geosynchronous orbit,the revisiting time of the same place can be reduced from the day level of low orbit satellite to the hour level,and the width can be increased from the hundred-kilometer level of low orbit satellite to the thousand-kilometer level,which can provide strong support for the effective implementation of disaster emergency response.For the new system of geosynchronous SAR microwave imaging,a series of key technologies are developed,such as microwave imaging for geosynchronous SAR,ultra-large power space-borne microwave transmission,ultra-large aperture space-borne antenna,large-flexibility and high-precision attitude stability control,intense pulse high-quality large power supply,integrated efficient thermal management for payload and platform,and integrated satellite-ground high-precision orbit determination.The satellite has the capability of quick revisit,large width,all-day and all-weather observation.The overall design of the satellite is introduced,and the technical innovation is summarized.Through the evaluation of the preliminary test results for the satellite in orbit,the geosynchronous SAR images have clear texture and good quality,which can meet the requirements of disaster prevention and reduction,land resource exploration and other tasks.
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    Research on lunar base based on cave
    LI Linling, LIU Jingang, HOU Yukui, LIU Wei, LI Mingfu, YIN Shuohui, WANG Lei, XU Mengchuan, Peng Jing, SUN Zezhou
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (3): 9-18.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0034
    Abstract706)      PDF(pc) (7961KB)(580)      
    The relevant policies, plans and specific projects of cave lunar bases at home and abroad were investigated systematically, with a focus on the comparative analysis of the existing gaps in research achievements. Based on the image information of lunar exploration at home and abroad and the research results of cave lunar base concept, the feasibility concept of cave lunar construction has been sorted out. Based on the unique advantages of the cave (such as suitable temperature, low radiation, less lunar dust, etc.) and the objective conditions of the difficulty of building a lunar base, a qualitative analysis was conducted on various concepts of cavebased lunar bases. Each type of lunar base configuration shows unique advantages: the cavebased lunar base based on the transformation of craters makes full use of the natural terrain on the lunar surface, combines the natural structural characteristics and artificial transformation requirements, and has significant advantages insitu resource utilization. Whether it is an unmanned or manned cave lunar base, it will go through four key strategic stages: lunar exploration, lunar address selection, lunar base construction and lunar base application. Although a large number of lunar images have been obtained through the launched lunar orbit probe, lunar surface probe and other exploration means, the current lunar surface exploration capabilities still need to be further improved to provide stronger support for the "site selection" work of the construction of the cave lunar base. At the same time, it is urgent to accelerate the development of key equipment for the construction of lunar bases as soon as possible, provide implementation tools for the construction of unmanned lunar bases, implement the "foundation" task of the cave lunar base, and realize the strategic goal of "cave utilization" of the cave lunar base as soon as possible.

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    Design and on-orbit efficiency analysis of onboard GNSS system for LT4A satellite
    WANG Zhenxing, WANG Yubin, MAO Zhiyi, TIAN Xiaobin, LIU Zhijia, HUANG Yong, SHAO Mingxue
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (1): 12-23.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0002
    Abstract628)      PDF(pc) (8610KB)(427)      

    The analysis of the onboard high-orbit GNSS navigation receiver system applied on the LuTan-04A (LT4A), the world′s first Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, is presented. The study investigates the precise orbit determination (POD) performance of the high-orbit GNSS receiver system and reports its engineering application for post-precise orbit determination for the first time. By collecting on-orbit data of BDS and GPS signal anomalies, the quality of onboard observational data and the POD are analyzed and evaluated. Experimental results indicate that the LT4A satellite onboard high-orbit GNSS navigation receiver system can stably capture and track BDS B1I and GPS L1 navigation signals, meeting the requirements for high-orbit real-time positioning, orbit determination, and post-mission precise orbit determination. Utilizing joint orbit determination of onboard BDS+GPS, the in-track accuracy can achieve radial better than 1.87m and three-dimensional better than 3.07m. In response to the characteristics of high-orbit navigation satellite acquisition and the timeliness requirements of applications, the orbit determination system can operate fully automatically throughout the entire process, ensuring the smoothness and continuity of the orbit, and controlling the introduction of high-order Legendre errors. The relevant achievements of this study can be applied to future high-orbit Earth observation satellite missions equipped with GNSS receivers.

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    System design of spaceborne large aperture perimeter truss antenna
    FENG Tao, ZAHNG Qingjun, LIN Kunyang, WANG Lipeng, ZHANG Qiao, YANG Jungang, XIAO Yong
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (1): 24-33.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0003
    Abstract608)      PDF(pc) (9223KB)(693)      
    The perimeter truss antenna is the ideal structure of the spaceborne deployable antenna with very large aperture, which is the key payload for high-orbit communication and high-orbit remote sensing satellite applications. The spaceborne perimeter truss antenna is a typical prestressed structure composed of the surrounding truss and cable network system. The accuracy of surface and the fundamental frequency of antenna are the main performance indexes of antennas. On-orbit reliable deployment is the premise of on-orbit application, and reliable deployment is the most important part of antenna design. The influence of ring antenna system parameters on on-orbit performance is analyzed. Based on the analysis of the deployable power system and the transmission power system, the influence of system parameters of the ring antenna on the deployable reliability is expounded. The method of evaluating the on-orbit performance design by structural statics and the deployable reliability by dynamic means are proposed. The design flow of spaceborne large aperture perimeter truss antenna system is defined by strength verification and on-board lock-release design by structural dynamics method, and the optimization strategy of each design parameter is proposed. It provides a reference for technical research and engineering development of the larger aperture spaceborne deployable antenna in the future.
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    Detecting satellite unknown fault patterns using digital twin and machine learning
    SHEN Yinglong, CAI Junliang, LIN Jiawei, YANG Fan
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (1): 46-58.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0005
    Abstract548)      PDF(pc) (5406KB)(304)      
    Traditional satellite fault diagnosis methods and existing data-driven diagnosis methods both face challenges in identifying unknown faults that differ from known fault types,resulting in lower reliability and safety.To address the problem,a fault diagnosis and unknown fault detection method based on satellite digital twin and machine learning models is proposed.Firstly,various types of fault-simulated data are generated using satellite digital twin,and the fidelity of digital twin data are validated using XGBoost and real satellite fault samples, achieving the diagnosis of known fault types.On this basis,considering that existing methods cannot identify the occurrence of unknown fault types precisely,an out-of-distribution detection model Con-DAGMM is proposed,which is trained on normal data and known fault data to provide warnings for unknown fault.Experiments are conducted using digital twin data and satellite real fault data.The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves high fault diagnosis accuracy with an average accuracy of 98.8% on the test data.Furthermore,Con-DAGMM achieve high-performance unknown fault detection,outperforming Deep-SVDD and other comparison methods in precision,recall and F1 scores.The results indicate that satellite digital twin can overcome the scarcity of fault samples in satellite historical data,and the out-of-distribution detection approach can be successfully applied to warning of satellite unknown faults,enhancing the satellite's safety and reliability.
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    Intelligent mission planning method for on-orbit service of high-orbit spacecraft cluster
    ZHENG Xinyu, CAO Dongdong, TANG Peijia, ZHANG Yi, PENG Shengren, ZHOU Jie, DANG Zhaohui
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (1): 34-45.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0004
    Abstract508)      PDF(pc) (7312KB)(304)      
    A mission planning model for on-orbit service of high-orbit spacecraft with two optimization objectives, fuel consumption and time consumption, is developed for the high-orbit spacecraft multi-to-multi on-orbit service mission planning. And the Q-learning-based Multi-objective Genetic Algorithm(QMGA) is proposed to solve the model. Firstly, a multi-to-multi objective assignment model based on four-impulse Lambert transfer is established. The velocity impulse consumption and time consumption are taken as the objective functions. By decoupling the problem into the orbit transfer optimization problem and the target assignment optimization problem, the dimension of the optimization variables is reduced, and the calculation process is simplified. Then, combined with Q-learning, the QMGA algorithm is proposed. The Q-learning is used to update the crossover probability and mutation probability of the multi-objective genetic algorithm, which improves the optimization ability of the algorithm. Finally, the QMGA algorithm is adopted to solve the model, and the calculation results are compared with that of the traditional multi-objective genetic algorithm. It is found that the QMGA algorithm can obtain better results and complete multi-to-multi on-orbit service tasks with less fuel consumption in a shorter time. The fuel consumption and the time consumption computed with the QMGA algorithm were 6.2% and 19.7% lower than those computed with MGA algorithm on average, respectively. This proves that the reinforcement learning method can further empower the traditional intelligent optimization method, thereby improving the mission capability of the spacecraft cluster.
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    Structure and mechanical properties of lunar glasses
    CHEN Ziqiang, ZHAO Yong, CHI Xiang, YAN Yuqiang, SHEN Jie, ZOU Minjie, ZHAO Shaofan, LIU Ming, YAO Wei, ZHANG Bo, KE Haibo, MA Xiuliang, BAI Haiyang, YANG Mengfei, ZOU Zhigang, WANG Weihua
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (3): 1-8.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0033
    Abstract502)      PDF(pc) (18306KB)(230)      
    Glass, a main component of lunar soil, is widely mixed in various forms like particles and agglutinates of small sizes in lunar soil and has good spatial applicability. The good glass-forming ability of lunar soil makes it the preferred raw material for the preparation of space glass materials. However, due to the lack of micro and nano sample preparation and detection methods, the mechanical properties of lunar glasses are rarely reported before, which seriously restricts the service evaluation of such glassy materials. In this study, the microstructures and mechanical properties of five typical Chang'e-5 lunar glassy particles are systematically studied by means of micro and nano sample preparation and mechanical testing combined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization. The results show that the lunar glasses have flexible and changeable (homogeneous to nano scaled inhomogeneous) amorphous structures and broad controllable mechanical properties (hardness ranges from (6.1±0.4)GPa to (8.4±0.2)GPa, modulus ranges from (48.5±1.9)GPa to (88.4±2.4)GPa). In addition, there is a marvelous decoupling phenomenon between the hardness and modulus of the lunar glasses, i.e., the rejuvenation process (heating them up to the supercooled liquid region and then cooling down to room temperature at fast cooling rates) greatly reduces the modulus while has much weaker effects on the hardness, which is attributed to the deformation mode changed from densification to shear flow. The rejuvenation process will induce volume expansion and inhomogeneous structure in the lunar glasses, which will facilitate such deformation change, leading to hardening effects. The results can provide guidance for the research and development of high-performance glassy materials for space application.
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    Microwave power transmission technologies for space solar power station
    YANG Bo, SHINOHARA Naoki
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (2): 1-14.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0017
    Abstract495)      PDF(pc) (5906KB)(261)      
    The microwave wireless power transmission technologies for space solar power station are a crucial field in the international space sector, where various countries are competing in its development. This paper surveys the research experiments and development efforts related to space solar power stations and microwave wireless power transmission technologies worldwide. The objective is to assess the progress and current state of this technological foundation, determine the necessary focus for developing high-power microwave wireless power transmission technology, and provide clarity on the direction of future technology development in these areas. Finally, a distributed space solar power station plan that is immediately feasible is proposed.
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    Cutting-edge scientific issues in ice giant exploration
    WANG Chi, LI Hui, KONG Dali, WANG Yuxian, YANG Zhongwei
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (4): 1-11.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0053
    Abstract449)      PDF(pc) (9196KB)(406)      
    Exploring ice giants and their moons stands as one of the frontiers in deep space exploration and space science research. Current international planetary exploration plans all include missions to ice giants. Focusing on China’s future ice giant exploration missions, the current status of ice giant exploration is investigated, and seven key scientific questions are identified and summarized. By comparing and analyzing the characteristics of ice giant systems, and combining with the development trends in planetary exploration, the prospects and recommendations for future ice giant missions are proposed. Neptune-Triton exploration as a priority for ice giant missions is highlighted. Future exploration can be broadly divided into three subjects: exploring extraterrestrial oceans and life, understanding Kuiper belt objects and solar system evolution, and investigating ice giant systems to understand planetary origins and evolution. Analyzing the scientific objectives for ice giant exploration provides a scientific reference for China’s future deep space missions.
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    Rigid-flexible coupling design and driving force analysis of modular deployable antenna structure
    TIAN Dake, ZHANG Hao, WANG Yongbin, FANG Jishou, JIN Lu, SHI Zuwei, FAN Xiaodong
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (4): 144-153.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0066
    Abstract434)      PDF(pc) (10574KB)(520)      
    Modular deployable antenna has the characteristics of good versatility, strong adaptability and expansion flexibility, and is a configuration form with great development potential to meet the needs of in-orbit assembly and construction of large-scale antenna in the future. In order to better grasp the mechanical characteristics of the antenna structure, the rigid-flexible coupling design and driving force analysis of the antenna structure are developed. Firstly, a scheme design of modular deployable antenna structure is carried out, and the structure composition and deployment/stowed principles are described. Secondly, based on the analytical geometric method, a mathematical model of the equivalent envelope circles is developed, and key parameters such as the angle of the rib unit are obtained, then the three-dimensional model of deployable antenna structure is established. Thirdly, the flexible processing of radial long beams such as upper beam, diagonal beam and lower beam is carried out, and a multi-body dynamic model of rigid-flexible coupling of modular deployable antenna mechanism is established by multi-body dynamics simulation software. Finally, the change laws of the deployable driving force of single module and multi module antennas at different confinement positions are analyzed from the aspects of gravity and no gravity. The results show that if there is gravity in the deploying process, the choice of constraint position has a great influence on the driving force. In the absence of gravity, the antenna constraint position has little effect on deployment. The structural design and multi scheme driving force analysis can provide some reference for the prototype development and engineering application of this antenna.
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    Design and application of lightweight high-performance data platform for “Space Computing Project”
    XIAO Ge, LIU Yibo
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (2): 33-41.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0020
    Abstract409)      PDF(pc) (3115KB)(232)      
    The space solar energy development and utilization is gradually becoming a reality. In the process of energy transfer from space to the ground, losses are inevitable. If those lost energy could be effectively utilized in space, the efficiency of energy utilization in SSPS(Space Solar Power Station)would be significantly improved. The “Space Computing Project” concept is proposed-a lightweight, large-power, and high-efficiency data processing center is established in space, and the electric energy generated by SSPS is directly used to calculate spatiotemporal data from satellites or other data sources. Providing the highest possible underlying data capability support under limited hardware resources is an engineering challenge that must be solved during the implementation of the Space Computing Project. Currently, there are few effective solutions. The “Soft Supercomputing” platform is designed. This platform is based on a high-performance real-time database software called NoSQLt. It is hardware-independent and with a small size. By using the high-concurrency and high-throughput data support capabilities provided by NoSQLt, the hardware computing capability can be fully utilized, so as to achieve efficient data processing ability with limited hardware resources deployed in space. Many application cases based on NoSQLt have proved the feasibility of Soft Supercomputing platform. For numerical data, a concurrent throughput of 5.3 million transactions per second is implemented on a regular desktop platform, and 1.15 million transactions per second on the Raspberry Pi 4B platform. A new data center energy consumption evaluation index called “Unit Throughput Capacity” is proposed.Performance testing experiments prove that NoSQLt has high performance under limited hardware resources, providing a fundamental capability guarantee for the future implementation of Space Computing Project.
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    Thermal analysis and verification of flexible solar panels on orbital spacecraft
    HUANG Hongchang, LI Junlan, WANG Cheng, SHEN Xunan, ZHANG Xiaojun, ZHANG Dawei
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (2): 79-87.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0025
    Abstract399)      PDF(pc) (5756KB)(523)      
    To predict the working temperature and distribution of flexible solar panels on spacecraft in orbit, an analysis of the thermal environment experienced by the solar wings in outer space was conducted. The variation of heat flow on the front and back of the flexible substrate with the orbital period was calculated. Two typical power generation conditions of the solar cell array-optimal operating point and open circuit state, were considered, and the working temperature of the solar cells and flexible substrate was calculated using the finite element method to study the periodic temperature variations with the orbit. A comparison was made with telemetry data from the space station to validate the accuracy of the model and calculation method. The influence of the thermal-physical performance of various functional areas on the temperature distribution of flexible solar panels was studied by comparing the results under two conditions. The findings indicate that the disparity in absorptivity between the solar cells and substrate could lead to notable temperature gradients at the bonding edges of the flexible substrate, which is a crucial factor that could induce thermal deformation in the flexible substrate.
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    Review of surface environmental characteristics and terrain mechanics of Mars
    Zhen, LI Xiujuan, ZHANG Rui, ZOU Meng
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (3): 19-28.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0035
    Abstract390)      PDF(pc) (8582KB)(210)      
    To prevent anomalies during lander touchdown and rover exploration on the Martian surface, and to provide parameter references for the subsequent utilization of in-situ Martian resources and the preparation of simulated Martian soil for ground experiments, this study analyzes the topographical features of Mars, with a particular focus on the physical and mechanical properties of Martian soil. By summarizing images and data obtained from successfully landed missions, this study systematically examines the Martian surface terrain and soil parameters, identifies key environmental characteristics, and compiles the mechanical parameter ranges of Martian soil in the vicinity of landers and rovers. Additionally, the properties and applicability of various simulated Martian soils developed both domestically and internationally are analyzed, and appropriate parameter ranges and selection criteria for simulated Martian soil tailored to lander and rover experiments are proposed. The results indicate that Martian soil is primarily composed of fine-grained particles, with significant amounts of dust, soil clumps, and small rock fragments scattered across the surface, which is often covered by a fragile weathered layer. The upper soil layer is relatively loose, exhibiting mechanical properties similar to sandy soil, making rovers prone to sinking anomalies during exploration, potentially affecting their normal operation. The measured cohesion of Martian soil ranges from 0.10 to 9.0kPa, while the internal friction angle ranges from 18° to 35°. Further analysis suggests that the optimal simulated Martian soil parameters for lander testing are a cohesion of 0.24kPa, an internal friction angle of 35°, and a bulk density of 1.52g/cm3, whereas for rover testing, the suitable parameters are a cohesion of 0.50kPa, an internal friction angle of 18°, and a bulk density of 1.10g/cm3. These findings provide valuable references for future Mars exploration site selection, the development of simulated Martian soil, ground experiments, and the in-situ utilization of Martian resources.
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    The load design and implementation of LT-4 space-borne SAR
    LI Guangting, TAN Xiaomin, LI Caipin, NIE Shikang, LIN Chenchen, ZHU Yalin, LIU Bo
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (4): 123-130.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0064
    Abstract385)      PDF(pc) (5812KB)(621)      

    In order to meet the requirement of high revisit and wide coverage of SAR system for national disaster prevention and reduction, the world’s first geosynchronous orbit SAR named Land Exploration 4rd(LT-4) was designed and developed. The satellite uses a ring-shaped reflector antenna and combined with phased array feed system, operating at L-band. The particularity of the orbit makes the satellite naturally have the characteristics of high revisit and wide coverage. In order to give a comprehensive description of the SAR payload system of LT-4, the characteristics of high orbit SAR which are different from low orbit SAR are described, and the key performance parameters of SAR payload are given. Then the working process of SAR payload is introduced, and the main functions and performance of the key equipment of SAR payload are expounded. At last, the history of load development for more than ten years is briefly described, and the load integration test items and test verification are given. The world's first high-orbit SAR image is obtained when the SAR payload works for the first time on orbit. The image information is rich and the payload’s on-orbit state is stable. The imaging results show that the SAR payload design is reasonable and the ground test and verification are sufficient, which can provide favorable information support for national disaster prevention and reduction.

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    Theoretical analysis of the effect of pore size of wick on loop heat pipes for space application
    LIN Bingyao, LI Nanxi, JIANG Zhenhua, YAN Zhe, WU Yinong
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (5): 150-159.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0052
    Accepted: 15 May 2025

    Abstract382)      PDF(pc) (6544KB)(48)      
    The wicks are the power component of the loop heat pipes, and the pore size of the wick determines the evaporation heat transfer and capillary force that the wick can provide. Therefore, in order to analyze the influence of the pore size of the wicks on the loop heat pipes, the cylindrical microchannel thin film evaporation model was established by using the augmented Young-Laplace formula and the theory of energy conservation, and the theory was applied to the performance analysis of the loop heat pipe evaporator. At the same time, in order to obtain the experimental data of the effect of wicks pore size on the performance of loop heat pipes, two copper-propylene loop heat pipes with different wicks pore sizes were prepared, and their heat transfer performance was tested under vacuum environment under the heating load from 10 to 30W. Combined with the experimental data and the above model, the loop heat pipe is analyzed, and the results show that the heat transfer performance of the evaporator is affected by the heat transfer quantity and heat transfer coefficient of the wick, and the growth rate of the evaporative heat transfer coefficient slows down with the increase of the heating load, and the heat transfer performance of the evaporator deteriorates when the heating load exceeds the critical heat flux.
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    Design of lunar based square kilometer array radio telescope antenna
    LIU Jia, WAN Jixiang, WU Chunbang, WANG Hao, ZHANG Qiaoshan, GUO Quan, ZHANG Pengfei, JIANG Ming
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (2): 88-93.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0026
    Abstract381)      PDF(pc) (4985KB)(326)      
    Due to strong ionospheric distortions and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), radio astronomy observation at frequencies below 30MHz is not feasible on earth. And the launched orbital detectors cannot meet the needs of high resolution and sensitivity observation. A lunar based square kilometers radio telescope antenna array is proposed in this paper. And the aspects of scientific objectives analysis, technical index demonstration, and project implementation scheme are detailed discussed. The corresponding technical route and realization way are given too. All of these are aiming at providing strong technical support for the development of space ultra-long wave radio astronomy observation in the future.
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    A mission planning method of high-orbit remote sensing satellites for multi-target detection
    LING Long, ZHU Yanqi, LU Zhijun, WANG Jie, WU Tongzhou, FENG Qian
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (4): 102-113.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0062
    Abstract355)      PDF(pc) (6944KB)(281)      
    High-orbit remote sensing satellites have become an indispensable tool in modern remote sensing technology because of their broad field of view coverage, efficient observation timeliness and strong continuous imaging capabilities, which can effectively obtain key feature information of key areas and targets. High-orbit remote sensing satellites often face the application requirements of simultaneous monitoring and tracking of multiple targets in area gaze missions. In order to solve the problem of low task execution efficiency under the demand of multi-objective observation, this paper proposes a high-orbit remote sensing satellite imaging mission planning method based on intelligent optimization algorithm, innovatively designs an "evaluation matrix" as the objective function of the differential evolution algorithm to realize the multi-objective observation area planning, and uses the genetic algorithm to complete the observation path planning on this basis. The simulation results show that compared with the traditional method, the observation efficiency of the proposed method is increased by 28.84% on average, and the energy usage rate is reduced by 24.37% on average. This method can cover all the targets to be tracked with a small number of observations, effectively reduce the number and angles of satellites pointing maneuvers, and the algorithm has good parallelism and portability, which can be adapted to various application scenarios such as on-board autonomous mission planning and constellation cooperative observation.
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    Engineering simplified approach to the general formulation for the dynamics of flexible spacecraft
    ZOU Yuanjie, DENG Runran, SHI Jixin, GE Dongming
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (2): 70-78.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0024
    Abstract353)      PDF(pc) (4848KB)(263)      
    An engineering simplified approach to the general formulation for the dynamics of flexible spacecraft is presented on the basis of the complete second-order differential equations. First, the integral items are simplified based on the translational lumped mass method, and the element inertia and rotational motions for shell element or beam element are omitted. Thus, the complex volume integral computation is transformed to the summation operation of variables multiplied by translational masses. Second, the nonlinear matrix coefficients are simplified to constant matrix based on “the small deformation assumption”, while omitting the impact of the elastic displacements on the position vectors. Therefore, all the items of the general formulation for the dynamics of flexible spacecraft are well preserved, but their computation is remarkably simplified. The approach could be used for the analysis of flexible spacecraft with largeamplitude and complex motions, and further extended from single-body to multi-body in order to solve the dynamics of on-orbit construction structures or space robots/arms. Finally, the approach is verified by multiple numerical examples and an application case.
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    Experiment on capillary performance of metal porous array structure
    YI Tianhao, JIA Huan, LIN Yilin, WANG Bin, JIANG Mengyi, WU Jingyi, YANG Guang
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (2): 61-69.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0023
    Abstract351)      PDF(pc) (8500KB)(229)      
    The capillary performance of porous structure is one of the main factors that determine whether the liquid propellant can be obtained stably in the storage tank under microgravity. The multilayer stainless porous array structure whose microcolumn distance ranges from 50μm to 110μm was prepared through 3D printing. The internal structure and surface morphology of the porous array structure are observed with the X-ray microscope and scanning electron microscope.The capillary rising process in the porous array structure is investigated with the infrared camera by using HFE7500, ethanol, and ethylene glycol as the working fluids. The capillary performance parameters are obtained through the capillary rising curves. The results show that the porosity of the porous array structure increases as the microcolumn distance increases. Besides, a larger microcolumn distance leads to a faster rising velocity and a larger rising height. The maximum rising height of a porous array structure with a microcolumn distance of 110μm is 2.34 times that of a porous array structure with a microcolumn distance of 50μm. For the same porous array structure, the rising velocity with the ethanol is the highest, followed by HFE7500 and ethylene glycol, respectively. Moreover, the capillary performance factor increases as the microcolumn distance increases, indicating that the porous array structure with a microcolumn distance of 110μm has the best comprehensive capillary performance. The results provide a reference for the design of porous structure liquid acquisition device.
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    Conception on the habitability exploration mission of the icy moon
    CHEN Xiao, LI Kui, HAO Jihua, CHEN Gang, DU Yang, PANG Fuchuan, LI Dongyu, LI Haiyang
    Chinese Space Science and Technology    2025, 45 (3): 175-184.   DOI: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2025.0049
    Abstract349)      PDF(pc) (3615KB)(293)      
    The exploration of liquid oceans beneath the icy crusts of icy moons and the investigation of their habitability provide critical clues for understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system, the emergence of life, and the search for extraterrestrial life. This field has become one of the most prominent frontiers in international deep space exploration. Based on a comprehensive review of domestic and international icy moon exploration missions and their key achievements, current development trends are analyzed, the scientific objectives and detection methodologies for icy moon exploration are summarized, and a novel multi-mode exploration concept is proposed combining orbital reconnaissance, surface landing, and deep drilling. Focusing on Enceladus as a primary target, the mission aims to investigate its gravitational field, thermal profile, magnetic environment, potential seismic activity, and geochemical characteristics through mass spectrometry, chromatography, spectroscopy, and biological detection. Concurrently, it will collect natural samples to analyze elemental and isotopic compositions, thereby advancing our understanding of Enceladus' habitability.  Critical technologies requiring breakthroughs are further identified, including next-generation detection payloads and high-precision analysis of biogenic elements. The implementation of such icy moon exploration missions will significantly enhance China's technological capabilities in deep space exploration and strengthen its leadership in planetary science.
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