Preface

Chapter 7 **Mars Networks-Based Navigation: Observability and**

Zhengshi Yu, Pingyuan Cui, Rui Xu and Shengying Zhu

Chapter 8 **Long-Life Technology for Space Flight Hall Thrusters 147** Yongjie Ding, Liqiu Wei, Hong Li and Daren Yu

Marco Gómez Jenkins and Jose Antonio Castro Nieto

Barbara Bermudez-Reyes, Frederic Trillaud, Fernando Velazquez-Villegas, Jonathan Remba-Uribe, Ana M. Arizmendi-Morquecho, Alberto Caballero-Ruíz, Mario A. Mendoza-Barcenas, Rafael Prieto-

Kobi Gozlan, Yuval Reuveni, Kfir Cohen, Boaz Ben-Moshe and Eyal

**Link Conditions, and Complete Loss-of-Spacecraft Signal 223**

Melendez, Leopoldo Ruiz-Huerta and Lauro Santiago-Cruz

Chapter 12 **Cassini Spacecraft-DSN Communications, Handling Anomalous**

Chapter 10 **Suborbital Flight: An Affordable and Feasible Option for Mexican Aerospace Development 185**

Chapter 11 **Cost-Effective Platforms for Near-Space Research and**

Chapter 9 **Low-Thrust Control Strategies for Earth-to-Mars**

**Optimization 119**

**VI** Contents

**Section 4 Spacecraft Propulsion 145**

**Trajectories 165**

**Experiments 197**

Berliner

**Section 6 Deep-Space Flight 221**

Paula S. Morgan

**Section 5 Suborbital Flight 183**

This edited volume is a collection of reviewed research chapters, concerning the recent de‐ velopments in the area of space flight.

The book includes scholarly contributions by various authors. It was edited by Prof. George Dekoulis, an expert on the state-of-the-art implementations of reconfigurable space physics systems.

The book is divided into six sections: "Introduction," "Spacecraft Simulators," "Spacecraft Navigation," "Spacecraft Propulsion," "Suborbital Flight," and "Deep-Space Flight."

After "Introduction," the first section "Spacecraft Simulators" provides an overview of cur‐ rent ground-based space simulation chambers. It contains the following research contribu‐ tion: "Space Thermal and Vacuum Environment Simulation."

The following section on "Spacecraft Navigation" consists of five research chapters, namely, "Fractal Pyramid: A New Math Tool to Reorient and Accelerate a Spacecraft," "Code Optimi‐ zation for Strapdown Inertial Navigation System Algorithm," "On Six DOF Relative Orbital Motion of Satellites," "Consensus-Based Attitude Manoeuver of Multi-spacecraft with Exclu‐ sion Constraints," and "Mars Network-Based Navigation: Observability and Optimization."

The next section is dedicated to "Spacecraft Propulsion." It consists of the following chap‐ ters: "Long-Life Technology for Space Flight Hall Thrusters" and "Low-Thrust Control Strategies for Earth-to-Mars Trajectories."

Section 5 is presenting the recent progress achieved in the area of "Suborbital Flight." It con‐ tains the following research contributions: "Suborbital Flight: An Affordable and Feasible Option for Mexican Aerospace Development" and "Cost-Effective Platforms for Near-Space Research and Experiments."

The last section of the book is titled "Deep-Space Flight." It is dedicated to the most impres‐ sive space mission with planetary probes the humanity has ever seen, namely, the **Cassini-Huygens Deep-Space Mission** by JPL (NASA). The title of the research contribution is "Cassini Spacecraft-DSN Communications, Handling Anomalous Link Conditions, and Complete Loss-of-Spacecraft Signal."

We hope that the readers will enjoy reading this book and be inspired to scientifically con‐ tribute to the further success of the global space community.

> **Prof. George Dekoulis** Head of Aeronautical and Space Engineering Department Aerospace Engineering Institute (AEI) Cyprus

**Section 1**

**Introduction**

**Section 1**
