Fig. 3. Concept of orbit transfer. orbit lower and the PF reaches the original orbit faster than in the time required in the ascending mode operation. The thrust and the atmospheric drag on the PF should be deduced from the orbital data. The direct communication with each spacecraft is impossible in most of the operations except those near the initial and turnaround points. In the proximity operations, the PF moves within a range of direct communication or sight of MSS. The movement of the PF is conceptually illustrated in Fig. 4. The solid lines and broken lines are the traces of PF relative to MSS in the ascending mode and descending mode, respectively. The ideas of the measurement on the exhaust plume and the evaluation of the thrust would be imagined here. In the case of
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