An integrated design methodology for the deployment of constellations of small satellites

Abstract

A growing interest in constellations of small satellites has recently emerged due to the increasing capability of these platforms and their reduced time and cost of development. However, in the absence of dedicated launch services for these systems, alternative methods for the deployment of these constellations must be considered which can take advantage of the availability of secondary-payload launch opportunities. Furthermore, a means of exploring the effects and tradeoffs in corresponding system architectures is required. This paper presents a methodology to integrate the deployment of constellations of small satellites into the wider design process for these systems. Using a method of design-space exploration, enhanced understanding of the tradespace is supported, whilst identification of system designs for development is enabled by the application of an optimisation process. To demonstrate the method, a simplified analysis framework and a multiobjective genetic algorithm are implemented for three mission case-studies with differing application. The first two cases, modelled on existing constellations, indicate the benefits of design-space exploration, and possible savings which could be made in cost, system mass, or deployment time. The third case, based on a proposed Earth observation nanosatellite constellation, focuses on deployment following launch using a secondary-payload opportunity and demonstrates the breadth of feasible solutions which may not be considered if only point-designs are generated by a priori analysis. These results indicate that the presented method can support the development of future constellations of small satellites by improving the knowledge of different deployment strategies available during the early design phases and through enhanced exploration and identification of promising design alternatives.

System Modelling of Very Low Earth Orbit Satellites for Earth Observation

“…Within the discipline of space systems, application of such system modelling is widespread with differing levels of integration and scope, e.g. at system level [48][49][50][51][52], constellation design [53,54] and deployment [55,56], propulsion systems [57][58][59], and communications architecture [60]. However, given the challenges of operating spacecraft in low altitude orbits, to date only a limited number of studies have approached the system modelling of spacecraft intended for operation in VLEO.…”

A Model-based approach for the preliminary design of the SAR Upstream element for the Italian IRIDE EO constellation based on users’ demand

“…As a result, methodologies for the preliminary design of constellations must increment the incorporation user-focused considerations. However, many approaches to the design of space architectures primarily focus on optimizing the technical parameters of constellations [17] [18][19] [20], while often neglecting user-centric aspects, which, as mentioned earlier, are critical for assessing the efficiency of such infrastructures. To address the efficiency gap in most approaches, this study proposes a systematic model-based approach to the preliminary design of optimal space architectures, considering not only technical performance but also user needs throughout the design process.…”

Optimization of constellation deployment using on-board propulsion and Earth nodal regression

“…Finally, the effect of atmospheric drag, injection orbit and the impact of different propulsion technologies will be shown with an example in the results section. This framework focuses on solutions that minimize deployment time and propellant needs and it is intended to be used within constellation design phases and it is suitable for inclusion in multidomain optimization (MDO) methodologies (Crisp et al, 2019;Lee et al, 2018;de Weck et al, 2002;Budianto and Olds, 2004).…”