A new set of relative orbit elements (ROE) is defined to describe the geometric characteristics of the hovering formation. An impulsive feedback control strategy based on ROE is proposed to put a satellite into a hovering pattern relative to the reference satellite. The formation can be controlled from any configuration to the hovering formation using the proposed control method. The error correction of the control laws is developed. The impulsive fuel cost of the non-Keplerian relative motion is studied compared to the continuous thrust control method. Several numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the proposed hovering formation model.
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