Orbital tether system motion equations considering space vehicle vibrations

The paper describes a mechanical system that includes a space vehicle (SV), a tether and end load. The SV is presented as a solid body that executes the motion of and around the centre of inertia under the effect of gravitational moment and tether tension moment. A mathematical model of plane motion of the mechanical system presented is obtained with the help of a Lagrangian equation of the second order. It is shown that the model obtained can be used both for tether system deployment analysis and for the study of the SV behavior.