The on-orbit control of future satellite constellations poses a great challenge. New approaches are required which result in control systems that are flexible, reliable, scaleable, and efficient. Such approaches must be capable of maintaining constellation level station-keeping requirements. Autonomy is desirable to minimize the system operations center activity, and to allow rapid response to on-orbit failures. This work develops methods for the maintenance of satellite constellations that achieve some of the goals identified above. Strategies employing these methods are applied to analyze the control and coverage characteristics of the Mobile Communications Holdings Inc. Ellipso? Constellation. The Automated Station-Keeping Simulator (ASKS), a software package developed for this project, is described.
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