Related papers: Feasibility Study For Multiply Reusable Space Laun…
Various proposed space elevators may bypass the financial and environmental limits on rocket technology, but all have their own problems. A Low-Earth-Orbit, LEO, rotovator-based space-elevator version called 'sling-on-a-ring' may overcome…
Reachability analysis plays a central role in low-thrust spacecraft trajectory optimization by identifying which target states can be achieved under constraints on time, thrust, and propellant. Classical approaches construct reachable sets…
The minimum-fuel orbital transfer is analyzed in the case of a launcher upper stage using a constantly thrusting engine. The thrust level is assumed to be constant and its value is optimized together with the thrust direction. A closed-loop…
The exponential rise in small-satellites and CubeSats in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) poses important challenges for future space traffic management. At altitudes of 600 km and lower, aerodynamic drag accelerates de-orbiting of satellites.…
Through multiple, small unmanned probes we can more efficiently capture an asteroid and return it to lunar orbit. The Asteroid Return and Exploration System (ARES) aims to make use of previously tested technology with the application of a…
This paper addresses the challenge of multi target active debris removal (ADR) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by introducing a unified coelliptic maneuver framework that combines Hohmann transfers, safety ellipse proximity operations, and…
We consider a Multiple Input Single Output (MISO) point-to-point communication system in which the transmitter is designed such that, each antenna can transmit information or harvest energy at any given point in time. We evaluate the…
A numerical optimization study of minimum-fuel Earth-based orbital transfers from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to either medium-Earth orbit (MEO), high-Earth orbit (HEO), or geostationary orbit (GEO), is performed. Various values of maximum…
This paper introduces a novel capacitated Two-Echelon Location-Routing Problem with Eco-conscious Customer Behavior (2E-LRP-ECB) aimed at enhancing the environmental sustainability of last-mile delivery (LMD) operations. The model jointly…
Recently advanced low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite networks represented by large constellations and advanced payloads provide great promises for enabling high-quality Internet connectivity to any place on Earth. However, the traditional…
The Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) region hosts satellites for navigation, communication, and geodetic/space environmental science, among which are the Global Navigation Satellites Systems (GNSS). Safe and efficient removal of debris from MEO is…
The construction of a space elevator would be an inspiring feat of planetary engineering of immense cost and risk. But would the benefit outweigh the costs and risks? What, precisely, is the purpose for building such a structure? For…
As part of the dynamical analysis carried out within the Horizon 2020 ReDSHIFT project, this work analyzes the possible strategies to guide low altitude satellites towards an atmospheric reentry through an impulsive maneuver. We consider a…
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks, characterized by their high data throughput and low latency, have gained significant interest from both industry and academia. Routing data efficiently within these networks is essential for…
Existing modeling approaches for long-duration energy storage (LDES) are often based either on an oversimplified representation of power system operations or limited representation of storage technologies, e.g., evaluation of only a single…
This paper introduces a landing guidance strategy for reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) using a model predictive approach based on sequential convex programming (SCP). The proposed approach devises two distinct optimal control problems…
Laser-accelerated lightsails enable new types of missions that are very different from the Breakthrough Starshot mission to the Centauri system that aims to send 1 gram of payload at 0.2 c. The present work widens the mission design space…
As part of University College Dublin's MSc in Space Science & Technology curriculum, student teams, over the course of a single term, design, build, launch (on a meteorological balloon), operate and recover their own payload on a…
The increasing penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) requires more Flexibility Resources (FR), generally thermal units and storages, must be kept in the system to accommodate the uncertainties from RES. The challenge is how the…
This paper presents a methodology for the concurrent first-stage preliminary design and ascent trajectory optimization, with application to a Vega-derived Light Launch Vehicle. The reuse as first stage of an existing upper-stage (Zefiro 40)…