Research Progress in Spacecraft Control Technology for Spaceborne Gravitational Wave Detection Missions
Dr. Yonghe Zhang
Researcher, deputy director of Innovation Academy for Microsatellite of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Abstract
Space-based gravitational wave detection will pioneer a new observational paradigm in low-frequency astrophysics (0.1mHz-1Hz), enabling unprecedented studies of cosmic phenomena through gravitational wave signatures. The LISA mission, a collaborative ESA-NASA flagship project currently in its Phase B development stage, is scheduled for launch in 2034. Concurrently, China's Taiji and TianQin programs have achieved critical milestones through dedicated technology demonstration satellites, with full-scale detection constellation deployments planned for the mid-2030s. These missions fundamentally rely on ultra-precision spacecraft control architectures to maintain test mass residual accelerations below 3×10-15m/s²/Hz1/2 while enabling picometer-level stability for intersatellite laser interferometry. In this report, we present the research progress on ultra-precise and ultra-stable spacecraft control technologies for the Taiji Program. These technologies address critical control tasks such as multiple test masses drag-free control, as well as the establishment and maintenance control of intersatellite laser links. This report systematically reviews current research advances through the perspective of control system design, control theory development, numerical simulation, and ground-based experimental validation efforts, while proposing future research directions.
Biography
Yonghe Zhang, a Ph.D. from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), is currently the deputy director of Innovation Academy for Microsatellite of Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS), Shanghai, China; and the director of the Key Laboratory of Satellite Digitalization Technology of Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has been engaged in spacecraft system design and critical technology development for space science exploration missions over the long term, with focused research on advanced methodologies for guidance, navigation, and control (GNC). He currently serves as Chief Designer of the China’s Tianguan satellite (Einstein Probe Satellite), Chinese project manager of the Sino-French Astronomical Satellite (SVOM), and Chief Scientist of the National Key Research and Development Program's Drag-Free Control Project in gravitational wave detection programs.
