Investigation of the Dynamic Behavior of two Satellites during and after Separation using the Example of BIROS and BEESAT-4

This paper details the process and results of a study course at the Technische Universit¨at Berlin that simulated the separation of two satellites using the example of BIROS and BEESAT-4 in order to investigate the resulting dynamic behavior. A simulation was developed that calculated the duration of the separation, the position of the satellites, the velocity during and after separation, the rotation of the spacecrafts and the associated impulses. Additionally, it is capable of propagating the orbits of the two satellites after the separation and of calculating the distance between them. The results were validated using the commercial software FreeFlyer. This showed successful simulation of the dynamic behavior of two satellites after separation, with a focus on the effects of the spring-loaded separation containers used during the mission on the flight characteristics of both satellites.