Space Occupancy in Low-Earth Orbit

Assessing and minimizing collisions in satellite mega-constellations

“…Using our developed algorithm, RICA, we have demonstrated that the frozen-orbit-based MiSO optimization [10] of the Nominal OneWeb and Starlink constellations is incredibly e↵ective and could likely remove the need for collision avoidance maneuvers.…”

Cost Estimation Model for Mega-Constellation Deployment Missions

“…At present, many organizations and commercial corporations have proposed LEO megaconstellations plans [3]. The most concerning Starlink system designed by SpaceX plans to launch 42,000 LEO satellites [4], of which 1,791 have been in orbit by the end of Oct 16, 2021. OneWeb initially plans to launch 648 satellites to form a global Internet constellation [5], [6].…”

Assessing and Minimizing Collisions in Satellite Mega-Constellations

“…4 The performance of the Hoots et al (1984) and Malhotra (2015, 2017) close-approach-probability algorithms are then evaluated against this baseline. As a final step, and as suggested by Bombardelli et al (2018), we consider Minimum Space Occupancy (MiSO) variants of the nominal 5 mega-constellations, which consist of redistributing satellites of different orbital planes in non-overlapping MiSO shells with an altitude separation of 600 meters. The effectiveness of these new design solutions in reducing the number of critical conjunctions is evaluated using the aforementioned algorithms.…”

“…Next, we estimate conjunction events in the orbital environment following the anticipated deployments of the OneWeb LEO and SpaceX Starlink mega-constellations. As a final step, we investigate Minimum Space Occupancy (MiSO) orbits (Bombardelli et al 2018), a generalization of the well-known frozen orbits that account for the perturbed-Keplerian dynamics of the Earth-Moon-Sun-satellite system. We evaluate the ability of MiSO configurations of the proposed mega-constellations, as suggested by Bombardelli et al 2018, to reduce the risk of endogenous (intra-constellation) collisions.…”

“…As a final step, we investigate Minimum Space Occupancy (MiSO) orbits (Bombardelli et al 2018), a generalization of the well-known frozen orbits that account for the perturbed-Keplerian dynamics of the Earth-Moon-Sun-satellite system. We evaluate the ability of MiSO configurations of the proposed mega-constellations, as suggested by Bombardelli et al 2018, to reduce the risk of endogenous (intra-constellation) collisions. The results indicate that the adoption of the MiSO orbital configuration can significantly reduce risk with nearly indistinguishable adjustments to the nominal orbital elements of the constellation satellites.…”