Flight Control Problems during Interaction between Transport Vehicles and Space Station

Space station configuration is built in space by separate modules attaching. Its life is supported by transport vehicles. Under these conditions the task of safe and reliable interaction between space vehicles or the task of flight control of interacting vehicles takes on great significance. To solve this task it is necessary to take into consideration additional mutual requirements and constraints, which appear on all control levels and phases. Flight control problems during interaction between transport vehicles and space station are analyzed in this paper on the base of flight experience of the Mir orbital complex (OC), the Soyuz transport vehicle (TV) and the Progress transport cargo vehicle (TCV). The main principles of flight control ensuring the nominal interaction of several vehicles on orbit which would be appropriate for use in the International Space Station (ISS) program are given in this paper. Work of control teams on different phases of operations planning and execution and also requirements, which are necessary to provide vehicles orbital interaction during different operations execution, are dealt with in this paper. The real facts from the Mir, the Soyuz and the Progress control practice are considered. Recommendations are given to arrange the vehicles interaction in the ISS program which will be used in the coming years.