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Astrodynamics 2017, 1(1): 85-99 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42064-017-0007-4
Research Article | Issue | Published: 08 September 2017

Target sequence optimization for multiple debris rendezvous using low thrust based on characteristics of SSO

Show Author's Information Shuge Zhao1( ),  Jingrui Zhang2,  Kaiheng Xiang1,  Rui Qi2
Space System Engineering Division, the Second System Design Department of the Second Research Academy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, Beijing 100854, China
School of Aerospace Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Keywords:
optimal control, multiple debris rendezvous, sun-synchronous orbits (SSO), low thrust
Cite this article:
Zhao S, Zhang J, Xiang K, et al. Target sequence optimization for multiple debris rendezvous using low thrust based on characteristics of SSO. Astrodynamics, 2017, 1(1): 85-99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42064-017-0007-4
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Abstract Full text About this article

A method is proposed to select the target sequence for a J2-perturbed multiple debris rendezvous mission aimed at removing dozens of debris from several thousand debris candidates running on sun-synchronous orbits (SSO). The solving methodology proceeds in two steps: Firstly, the variance of the right ascension of ascending node (RAAN) of the debris group is used for narrowing down the potential debris candidate; secondly, the debris of the candidate group that has closest RAAN to the current debris is chosen as the next debris. The low thrust near-minimum-fuel trajectories of each rendezvous leg are obtained by the indirect optimization method. The proposed approach is demonstrated for the problem of the 8th China Trajectory Optimization Competition (CTOC). The radar cross section (RCS) of the debris is also considered in the first step since the primary performance index of the competition is to maximize the total RCS of the debris visited. The results show that the proposed approach achieves better performance within a competition period. Of the many rendezvous sequences found, the best one submitted for the competition obtained a total RCS of 184 by accomplishing rendezvous with 70 debris within a transfer duration of one year.


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About this article

Target sequence optimization for multiple debris rendezvous using low thrust based on characteristics of SSO

Show Author's information Shuge Zhao1( ), Jingrui Zhang2, Kaiheng Xiang1, Rui Qi2
Space System Engineering Division, the Second System Design Department of the Second Research Academy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, Beijing 100854, China
School of Aerospace Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China

Abstract

A method is proposed to select the target sequence for a J2-perturbed multiple debris rendezvous mission aimed at removing dozens of debris from several thousand debris candidates running on sun-synchronous orbits (SSO). The solving methodology proceeds in two steps: Firstly, the variance of the right ascension of ascending node (RAAN) of the debris group is used for narrowing down the potential debris candidate; secondly, the debris of the candidate group that has closest RAAN to the current debris is chosen as the next debris. The low thrust near-minimum-fuel trajectories of each rendezvous leg are obtained by the indirect optimization method. The proposed approach is demonstrated for the problem of the 8th China Trajectory Optimization Competition (CTOC). The radar cross section (RCS) of the debris is also considered in the first step since the primary performance index of the competition is to maximize the total RCS of the debris visited. The results show that the proposed approach achieves better performance within a competition period. Of the many rendezvous sequences found, the best one submitted for the competition obtained a total RCS of 184 by accomplishing rendezvous with 70 debris within a transfer duration of one year.

Keywords: optimal control, multiple debris rendezvous, sun-synchronous orbits (SSO), low thrust

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Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 12 December 2016
Accepted: 09 February 2017
Published: 08 September 2017
Issue date: March 2017

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press 2017

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the organizers of the 8th China Trajectory Optimization Competition for the interesting and complex problem. Most methods presented in this paper were developed under the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11172036, 11572037, and 11402021) and the Excellent Young Scholars Research Fund of Beijing Institute of Technology (No. 2015YG0101).

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