Abstract:
As a highly promising propellantless propulsion technology, the in-orbit performance of solar sails is significantly influenced by multiple uncertainty factors, posing severe challenges to the precise orbital control, long-term performance evaluation, and reliability design of solar sail missions. To quantify the combined effects of multi-source uncertainties—including attitude angle deviation, sail deformation, wrinkle distribution, and optical coefficients—on solar sail thrust and orbit, this study establishes an uncertainty analysis framework based on the Monte Carlo method. Furthermore, this paper provides a detailed mathematical description and modeling for each uncertainty factor: the attitude angle deviation is modeled using an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck stochastic process, the sail deformation follows the deformation model proposed by Gauvain and Tyler for the Solar Cruiser, and probability distribution models for sail wrinkles and optical coefficients are established based on experimental data. Building upon this, a non-ideal thrust model is developed from a generalized sail model to achieve the quantitative uncertainty analysis of the thrust's stochastic characteristics. The results reveal that the combined effect of multi-source uncertainties not only leads to a reduction in the expected main thrust but also induces significant random fluctuations in the lateral thrust, thereby degrading the controllability of the thrust vector. Furthermore, orbital evolution simulations for a heliocentric orbit-raising mission demonstrate that this thrust uncertainty will cause a continuous decay in the semi-major axis gain and a persistent drift in the orbital inclination, ultimately leading to a significant dispersion of the final mission state and reducing the predictability of long-term missions. This research provides a crucial reference for the performance evaluation, reliability design, and mission planning of deep-space solar sail missions.