Related papers: Analytical Shaping Method for Low-Thrust Rendezvou…

Continuous formulations of trajectory planning problems have two main benefits. First, constraints are guaranteed to be satisfied at all times. Secondly, dynamic obstacles can be naturally considered with time. This paper introduces a novel…

The rapid expansion of mega-constellations in low Earth orbits has posed significant challenges to space traffic management, necessitating periodic inspections of satellites to ensure the sustainability of the space environment when…

The proposal of increasingly complex and innovative space endeavours poses growing demands for mission designers. In order to meet the established requirements and constraints while maintaining a low fuel cost, the use of low-energy…

In this paper, the time- and propellant-optimal low-thrust rephasing problems in circular orbit are studied to depict their solution spaces in an atlas. The number of key parameters that settle the rephasing problems is reduced by…

Conjunction analysis and maneuver planning for spacecraft collision avoidance remains a manual and time-consuming process, typically involving repeated forward simulations of hand-designed maneuvers. With the growing density of satellites…

This paper presents a convex approach to the optimization of a cooperative rendezvous, that is, the problem of two distant spacecraft that simultaneously operate to get closer. Convex programming guarantees convergence towards the optimal…

This paper presents a computationally efficient optimization algorithm for solving nonconvex optimal control problems that involve discrete logic constraints. Traditional solution methods for these constraints require binary variables and…

In this paper, we consider the classical spacecraft rendezvous problem in which the so-called active spacecraft has to approach the target spacecraft which is moving in an elliptical orbit around a planet by using the minimum possible…

This paper presents a unique approach to the problem of calculating revisit time metrics for different satellite orbits, sensor geometries, and constellation configurations with application to early lifecycle design and optimisation…

The optimization of low-thrust, multi-revolution orbit transfer trajectories is often regarded as a difficult problem in modern astrodynamics. In this paper, a flexible and computationally efficient approach is presented for the…

Low-thrust trajectories play a crucial role in optimizing scientific output and cost efficiency in asteroid belt missions. Unlike high-thrust transfers, low-thrust trajectories require solving complex optimal control problems. This…

In this paper, we propose a novel optimization-based trajectory planner that utilizes spherical harmonics to estimate the collision-free solution space around an agent. The space is estimated using a constrained over-determined…

Spacecraft relative motion planning is concerned with the design and execution of maneuvers relative to a nominal target. These types of maneuvers are frequently utilized in missions such as rendezvous and docking, satellite inspection and…

This paper presents a novel contact-implicit trajectory optimization method using an analytically solvable contact model to enable planning of interactions with hard, soft, and slippery environments. Specifically, we propose a novel contact…

In this paper, Particle Swarm Optimization with energy-to-fuel continuation is proposed for initializing the co-state variables for low-thrust minimum-fuel trajectory optimization problems in the circular restricted three-body problem.…

Analytical approximations are commonly employed in the initial trajectory design phase of a mission to rapidly explore a broad design space. In the context of an asteroid deflection mission, accurately predicting deflection is crucial to…

Computing shortest paths for curvature-constrained Dubins vehicles on the unit sphere is fundamental to many engineering applications, including long-range flight planning, persistent surveillance patterns, and global routing problems where…

We develop a probabilistic framework for \emph{rendezvous planning}: given sparse, noisy observations of a fast-moving target, plan rendezvous spatiotemporal coordinates for a set of significantly slower seeking agents. The unknown target…

This paper investigates an efficient algorithm for trajectory planning problem of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles which fly over three-dimensional terrains. The proposed algorithm combines convex optimization with disjunctive…

Formation flight has a vast potential for aerial robot swarms in various applications. However, existing methods lack the capability to achieve fully autonomous large-scale formation flight in dense environments. To bridge the gap, we…