Dynamics of satellite separation system

This paper presents the coordinate systems; coordinate transformations and equations of motion useful for the design and analysis of satellite separation system using the helical compression spring mechanism. A fourth-order Runge–Kutta method is adopted to solve the non-linear ordinary differential equations of motion to obtain the 12 degrees of freedom for the separating bodies, for the specified dynamic parameters. A reliable statistical approach is followed to account the variations in the specified dynamic parameters. The tolerances in the magnitude of the body rates, relative velocity and relative distance between the separating bodies are presented for use in the design to achieve the desired separation system.