Optimization of Low-Thrust Reconfiguration Maneuvers for Spacecraft Flying in Formation

Abstract

In this work, the problem of optimization of low-thrust reconfiguration maneuvers for spacecraft flying in formation is addressed. The problem is stated as the solution of an optimal control problem in which an objective function related to controls is minimized, satisfying a series of constraints on the trajectory that are both differential and algebraic. The problem has been faced by transcribing the differential constraints into a nonlinear programming problem with a parallel multiple-shooting method. The resulting problem has been solved with an interior point\ud method. The method that has been developed is particularly suited for the solution of problems in which the trajectory is constrained with a great number of inequalities on both states and controls. The method has been applied to the design of reconfiguration maneuvers for spacecraft flying in formation, for which the collision avoidance issue leads to the imposition of a large number of inequalities on states derived from the minimum distance constraint

Convex optimisation approach to constrained fuel optimal control of spacecraft in close relative motion

“…In both cases, the discrete problem can be faced with the algorithms developed for parameter optimization which are typically based on the Newton method (Betts, 1998). Example of indirect methods can be seen in (Casalino et al, 1999) and (Zhang et al, 2015), while example of direct methods can be seen in (Massari and Bernelli-Zazzera, 2009) and (Massari et al, 2003).…”

Optimal Spacecraft Formation Reconfiguration with Collision Avoidance Using Particle Swarm Optimization

“…These methods also take a lo ng time to solve the problem when t he number of computation steps increases and could not get a high accuracy neither. Many other approaches have also been used in formation reconfiguration, such as the RRT-based method [6] and the multiple-shooting method [7]. The pseudospectral method is a newly developed class of methods for solving optimal control problems.…”