Optimization of Multispacecraft Maneuvers for Mobile Target Tracking from Low Earth Orbit

Abstract

This paper presents a method of planning spacecraft maneuvers for mobile target tracking. Agile, maneuverable spacecraft have been proposed as a means of modifying satellite orbits to observe discrete targets on the Earth on demand. This work adapts this concept to propose a method of using maneuverable spacecraft to observe a mobile target as it moves across the Earth. Previous work has shown the potential of such an approach to increase persistence of coverage of a moving target. This work applies a suitable optimizer to select possible maneuvers for a spacecraft, or a constellation of spacecraft, to repeatedly observe a moving target. A biased random key genetic algorithm is used, which adjusts the [Formula: see text] for each maneuver to minimize the total [Formula: see text] used and maximize target coverage over the full sequence of maneuvers. The developed method is applied to two case studies concerning monitoring of tropical storms. The results indicate that, using relatively small maneuvers, spacecraft orbits can be adjusted to improve the quantity and quality of views of a moving target. In the Typhoon Megi case study, a single spacecraft using less than [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] is shown to double the access time and provide two additional observations of the storm eye compared with a nonmaneuvering spacecraft in an identical initial orbit. Opportunities for observations increase as the number of maneuverable spacecraft are increased, with a three-spacecraft constellation able to provide five complete observations of the storm eye for a total change in velocity of 12 m/s.