Some maneuvers require several custom engines with variable thrust magnitude and direction over time. This is especially true when using low-thrust engines for large orbit transfers. In these cases, the thrusting strategy is critical to saving time and Delta-V. The Astrogator Engine Plugin interface enables you to specify and use engine models that vary magnitude and direction based on time or any other parameter that you can pull out of STK.
Attached are two files to help you:
- a complete tutorial (PDF) to deploy and run a COM-based engine plugin
- a ZIP file with the relevant source code and STK scenario
The tutorial will walk you through writing an Astrogator Engine Plugin in C# to perform a low-thrust orbit raise. The pointing and magnitude of the maneuver will vary with semimajor axis and argument of latitude. Once completed, you can use the tutorial result as a starting point for a more accurate implementation.
