Related papers: Fuel-Optimal Rendezvous in a Central Force Field w…
We model accelerated trips at high-velocity aboard light sails (beam-powered propulsion in general) and radiation rockets (thrust by anisotropic emission of radiation) in terms of Kinnersley's solution of general relativity and its…
Communication with a spacecraft is typically performed using Radio Frequency (RF). RF is a well-established and well-regulated technology that enables communication over long distances as proven by the Voyager 1 & II missions. However, RF…
In this paper, a novel framework for delay-optimal cell association in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-enabled cellular networks is proposed. In particular, to minimize the average network delay under any arbitrary spatial distribution of the…
The current paradigm foresees that relativistic jets are launched as magnetically dominated flows, whose magnetic power is progressively converted to kinetic power of of the matter of the jet, until equipartition is reached. Therefore, at…
Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental plasma process associated with conversion of the embedded magnetic field energy into kinetic and thermal plasma energy, via bulk acceleration and Ohmic dissipation. In many high-energy astrophysical…
Solar-powered electric propulsion systems can operate in multiple modes and their operation is coupled to the power generated by solar arrays. However, the power produced by the solar arrays is a function of the solar array size and…
This paper introduces a hybrid dynamical system methodology for managing impulsive control in spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations under the Hill-Clohessy-Wiltshire model. We address the control design problem by isolating the…
In this paper, we provide a decentralized optimal control framework for coordinating connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) in two interconnected intersections. We formulate a control problem and provide a solution that can be implemented…
In this paper, we present an application of the optimal control theory to orbital transfer of Low Earth Orbit satellites. The optimal control problem is treated with Dynamic Programming techniques which require solving the…
This paper describes an online off-policy data-driven reinforcement learning based-algorithm to regulate and control the relative position of a deputy satellite in an autonomous satellite docking problem. The optimal control policy is…
Building and maintaining a space object catalog is necessary for space situational awareness. To realize this, one great challenge is uncooperative spacecraft maneuver detection because unknown maneuver events can lead to deviated orbital…
We investigate favourable circumstances for fast magnetic reconnection in astrophysical plasmas based on recent results by Rogers et al. (2001). Given that a critical magnetic field structure with antiparallel field lines exists, our…
High power Earth and orbital-based directed energy (DE) systems pose a potential hazard to Earth orbiting spacecraft. The use of very high power, large aperture DE systems to propel spacecraft is being pursued as the only known, feasible…
The process of momentum and energy transfer between a massive body and a background medium it is moving through is known as dynamical friction (DF). It is key to our understanding of many astrophysical systems. We present a series of…
We examine some basic physics surrounding regenerative braking and air drag. First, we analyze under what conditions it becomes energetically favorable to use aggressive regenerative braking to reach a lower speed over ``coasting'' where…
A control optimization approach is presented for a chaser spacecraft tasked with maintaining proximity to a target space object while avoiding collisions. The target object trajectory is provided numerically to account for both passive…
Optimization of low-thrust trajectories that involve a larger number of orbit revolutions is considered a challenging problem. This paper describes a high-precision symplectic method and optimization techniques to solve the minimum-energy…
We present a fast trajectory optimization algorithm for the soft capture of uncooperative tumbling space objects. Our algorithm generates safe, dynamically feasible, and minimum-fuel trajectories for a six-degree-of-freedom servicing…
Increase in the number of space exploration missions has led to the accumulation of space debris, posing risk of collision with the operational satellites. Addressing this challenge is crucial for the sustainability of space operations. To…
Practical deployments of coordinated fleets of mobile robots in different environments have revealed the benefits of maintaining small distances between robots, especially as they move at higher speeds. However, this is counter-intuitive in…