Dynamics and control of tethered spacecraft - A brief overview

Work related to the dynamics of tether connected orbiting systems and their control during deployment, operational, and retrieval phases is briefly reviewed. In particular, attention is given to the modeling of tether dynamics and control, end bodies tethered at point masses, deployment dynamics and tension control, and thruster and offset control. Directions of future efforts aimed at gaining a better understanding of the performance of tethered systems are outlined.