Related papers: Team theAntipodes: Solution Methodology for GTOC11
We present the solution approach developed by the team `TheAntipodes' during the 12th edition of the Global Trajectory Optimization Competition (GTOC 12). An overview of the approach is as follows: (1) generate asteroid subsets, (2) chain…
Dyson spheres are hypothetical megastructures encircling stars in order to harvest most of their energy output. During the 11th edition of the GTOC challenge, participants were tasked with a complex trajectory planning related to the…
This paper describes the methods used and the results obtained by team Karmarkar's Gang for the 10th edition of the Global Trajectory Optimization Competition. The methods used by our team are described. These methods involve: mothership…
The design of interplanetary trajectories often involves a preliminary search for options later refined/assembled into one final trajectory. It is this broad search that, often being intractable, inspires the international event called…
This paper summarizes the solution approach and the numerical methods developed by the joint team Sapienza University of Rome and Politecnico di Torino (Team Sapienza-PoliTo) in the context of the 10th Global Trajectory Optimization…
Designing optimal trajectories for multi-flyby asteroid missions is scientifically critical but technically challenging due to nonlinear dynamics, intermediate constraints, and numerous local optima. This paper establishes a method that…
In 2023, the 12th edition of Global Trajectory Competition was organised around the problem referred to as "Sustainable Asteroid Mining". This paper reports the developments that led to the solution proposed by ESA's Advanced Concepts Team.…
This paper addresses the problem of planning successive Space Debris Collecting missions so that they can be achieved at minimal cost by a generic vehicle. The problem mixes combinatorial optimization to select and order the debris among a…
Inspired by the recent 11th Global Trajectory Optimisation Competition, this paper presents the asteroid routing problem (ARP) as a realistic benchmark of algorithms for expensive bound-constrained black-box optimization in permutation…
Trajectory optimization of low-thrust perturbed orbit rendezvous is a crucial technology for space missions in low Earth orbits, which is difficult to solve due to its initial value sensitivity, especially when the transfer trajectory has…
A deep-space exploration mission with low-thrust propulsion to rendezvous with multiple asteroids is investigated. Indirect methods, based on the optimal control theory, are implemented to optimize the fuel consumption. The application of…
In this study, an interplanetary space flight mission design is established to obtain the minimum \(\Delta V\) required for a rendezvous and sample return mission from an asteroid. Given the initial (observed) conditions of an asteroid, a…
The optimal design of multi-target rendezvous and flyby missions is challenging due to the combination of traditional spacecraft trajectory optimization and high-dimensional combinatorial problems. This often requires large-scale global…
A possible mean to stabilize the LEO debris population is to remove each year 5 heavy debris like spent satellites or launchers stages from that space region. This paper investigates the DeltaV requirement for such a Space Debris Collecting…
A robust drift-safe rendezvous trajectory optimization tool is developed in this work, with applications to orbital rendezvous and proximity operations. The method is based on direct collocation and utilizes a sequential convex programming…
We present DDTO--deferred-decision trajectory optimization--a framework for trajectory generation with resilience to unmodeled uncertainties and contingencies. The key idea is to ensure that a collection of candidate targets is reachable…
This study presents a fast nonlinear programming algorithm for low-thrust multi-asteroid rendezvous missions. The core contribution is the derivation of analytical formulations for both first- and second-order gradients of low-thrust…
An adaptive, adversarial methodology is developed for the optimal transport problem between two distributions $\mu$ and $\nu$, known only through a finite set of independent samples $(x_i)_{i=1..N}$ and $(y_j)_{j=1..M}$. The methodology…
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 orienteering problem is a well-studied and fundamental problem in transportation science. In the problem, we are given a graph with prizes on the nodes and lengths on the edges, together with a budget on the overall tour length. The…