Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Akan Selim, Ibrahim Ozkol
Summary: The author studied a rendezvous mission with a tumbling space object using a novel three-phase mission design architecture based on Ensemble Optimal Control and warm-start Bellman Pseudospectral Optimal Control. They developed a software called SC-EPOCS to solve the ensemble optimal control problem and introduced the concept of checkpoints for transition trajectory planning. Through the use of Deep Neural Networks and the Covector Mapping Theorem, optimal trajectories were derived and a recursive optimal control problem was solved, accounting for state estimation errors. The approach was proven to be feasible, robust, and optimal.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
David Arnas, Richard Linares
Summary: This paper focuses on the generation of non-self-intersecting relative trajectories and their applications in satellite constellation design, slotting architectures, and space traffic management. The paper introduces three theorems to determine when two spacecraft share the same relative trajectory, identify the conditions that allow non-self-intersecting relative trajectories, and compute the minimum distances within these trajectories. These results are then applied to estimate the orbital capacity at a given altitude and to design satellite constellations and slotting architectures without any conjunctions.
JOURNAL OF GUIDANCE CONTROL AND DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Xiande Wu, Wenbin Bai, Yaen Xie, Xianliang Zhang, Ting Song
Summary: This paper proposes a prescribed performance robust control method for the leader/follower (L/F) formation to solve the problem of spacecraft formation flying (SFF) full-process control (FPC). The main contribution of this paper lies in three aspects: developing a six-degree-of-freedom (DOF) error dynamics model of SFF, designing a prescribed performance bound that considers transience and transient performance, and designing a predefined performance robust controller based on the backstepping method. The proposed theoretical results are verified through illustrative simulations.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Qingyu Qu, Kexin Liu, Wei Wang, Jinhu Lu
Summary: This article focuses on the relative position tracking problem of autonomous spacecraft rendezvous with collision avoidance requirement. It proposes an exploration-adaptive deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm for training a definite control strategy. By introducing adaptive noise and a metalearning-based idea, it reduces energy consumption and adapts to other similar scenarios effectively.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AEROSPACE AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Giordana Bucchioni, Matteo De Benedetti, Fabio D'Onofrio, Mario Innocenti
Summary: The paper describes and tests a strategy to ensure the safety of rendezvous manoeuvres during the assembly of the Lunar Orbital Platform Gateway. Safety is guaranteed through automatic allocation of hold-points in the far range and an optimal active collision avoidance manoeuvre in the close range.
JOURNAL OF THE ASTRONAUTICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Jesus Ramirez, Leonard Felicetti, Damiano Varagnolo
Summary: This paper presents a path-based model predictive controller for a small satellite to autonomously rendezvous with a tumbling object in a circular low Earth orbit (LEO). The controller incorporates collision avoidance elements and reduces computational effort through algebraic manipulations and linearized state transition matrices. Convex optimization is used to design the controller inputs and collision avoidance scheme, resulting in low computational requirements. Extensive testing confirms the docking and collision avoidance capabilities of the proposed scheme under various perturbations and uncertainties.
JOURNAL OF GUIDANCE CONTROL AND DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Rong Chen, Yuzhu Bai, Yong Zhao, Yi Wang, Wen Yao, Xiaoqian Chen
Summary: The paper proposes a two-phase pseudospectral convex optimal closed-loop control method to address several problems faced by generic swarms. It demonstrates distinct advantages through comprehensive simulation analysis and comparison.
AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Quan Quan, Rao Fu, Kai-Yuan Cai
Summary: Unmanned aerial vehicles are becoming more accessible to both amateur and commercial users. A safety air traffic management system is needed to prevent collisions in the sky. Research has been done to design collision avoidance methods, but determining the safety radius with communication uncertainties remains unresolved. This study proposes a separation principle for safety radius and controller design, taking into account communication uncertainties and assumed control performance. Simulations and experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of these methods.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Danhe Chen, A. A. Baranov, Chuangge Wang, M. O. Karatunov, N. Yu. Makarov
Summary: This paper proposes a maneuvering method for avoiding collision with space debris objects in the phasing orbit of the initial optimal solution, and formulates relevant dangerous area based on the plane of eccentricity vector components. The method simplifies the calculation of rendezvous maneuvers and allows to find a balance between SO avoiding and fuel consumption reduction.
CMES-COMPUTER MODELING IN ENGINEERING & SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Yong Guo, Dawei Zhang, Ai-jun Li, Shenmin Song, Chang-qing Wang, Zongming Liu
Summary: A finite-time controller with safe constraints is designed for non-cooperative space autonomous rendezvous and docking using an artificial potential function. The approach uses an elliptic cissoid to establish the obstacle avoidance model and a sliding mode surface to address collision avoidance. The controller ensures the chaser spacecraft avoids colliding with space objects around the noncooperative target spacecraft, as well as large stationary physical attachments. The validity of the controller is confirmed through numerical simulations.
AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Qinglei Hu, Biru Chi
Summary: This article investigates the problem of autonomous spacecraft rendezvous and docking under the presence of space obstacles, path constraints, and thrust limitations. A combination scheme of guidance and control is proposed using the explicit reference governor (ERG) framework to ensure system stabilization and constraints satisfaction. The artificial potential function (APF) method is employed to guide a collision-free trajectory and the constraints are satisfied by limiting the states within the safe invariant set. Furthermore, a simplified method is proposed to obtain the maximum bound of the Lyapunov-based invariant sets for input boundedness and collision avoidance. The convergence of the system under the potential field is proven through Lyapunov stability analysis. Numerical simulation results demonstrate the comprehensive validation and good performance of the proposed method.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SYSTEMS MAN CYBERNETICS-SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Wenyang Gan, Lixia Su, Zhenzhong Chu
Summary: This paper proposes a trajectory planning method based on the Gauss pseudospectral method to address the obstacle avoidance problem of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in complex environments. By establishing a multi-constraint trajectory planning model and transforming the optimal control problem into a nonlinear programming problem, the trajectory that satisfies the optimization objective can be obtained. The effectiveness of the cubic spline interpolation method in solving the optimal control problem is verified through simulation results.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Lixiang Wang, Dong Ye, Yan Xiao, Xianren Kong
Summary: This paper proposes trajectory planning algorithms for large-scale satellite clusters reconfiguration based on sequential convex programming, considering fuel consumption and collision avoidance. The problem is formulated as a nonconvex optimal control problem with nonlinear dynamics and nonconvex path constraints. The original problem is transformed into a discrete convex optimization subproblem through linearization and discretization, considering collision and obstacle avoidance. The proposed methods achieve significant improvements in computational efficiency compared to the pseudo-spectral method as the number of satellites increases.
AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Shiyu Zhang, Federico Pecora
Summary: This letter presents a multi-robot task allocation framework for cooperative task completion under task execution uncertainty, utilizing an online sequential task assignment method and one-step-ahead simulation to react to uncertainties in real-time and improve completion efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate successful cooperation and scalability in both small and large-scale multi-robot systems.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Siyuan Li, Chuang Liu, Zhaowei Sun
Summary: This paper investigates a novel distributed hierarchical control method for small satellites by combining formation flying and satellite cluster. The method utilizes specific controllers to estimate and control external disturbances, maintain collision avoidance and desired communication range between satellites. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
A. I. Krikunova, A. D. Cheshko, V. V. Krivets
Summary: Fire safety is crucial for the development of efficient and safe energy systems for space objects. This paper focuses on studying the influence of gravity on combustion processes and analyzes the dynamics of inverted conical methane-air flame under external acoustic excitation. The results show that at high excitation frequencies, the intensity of vortex generation is similar to that observed in experiments with normal gravity, indicating the dominance of acoustic mechanism. Additionally, at an external excitation frequency of 240 Hz, significant growth in shear vortex diameters and increased amplitude of perpendicular oscillations of flame branches were observed, indicating the most intensive large scale instability of flow.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Liya Huang, Mingquan Gong, Jiarui Zhang, Kun Liang, He Yang
Summary: Metallized gel propellants with exceptional stability and remarkable shear-thinning properties were successfully synthesized by utilizing cooperative hydrogen bonding between polymer octanoyl cellulose and the small Thixatrol ST molecule.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Clemence Poirier, Michelle Hermes, Marco Aliberti
Summary: This paper examines the role of space-based data in European climate policies and assesses the barriers to the use of space technology in climate policymaking in European countries. The research findings indicate that while satellite data is crucial for scientific research and climate policies, the role of space is not accurately reflected in European climate policies.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Yan-mei Zhou, Ji-ping Wu, Wei Huang, Gautam Choubey
Summary: This study investigates the combustion performance of sinusoidal pulsed jets in supersonic flows using numerical simulations. It is found that the pulsed jets can significantly improve combustion efficiency.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Wang Zhao, Shujun Tan, Yiliang Guo
Summary: This study proposes an adaptive Pogo active suppression controller design method that utilizes measured acceleration as feedback. The eigenspace transformation theory is employed to design dimensional reduced models for observer and adaptive controller, effectively addressing the issues of model parameter uncertainty and time-varying parameters. Simulation analysis of a certain type of rocket demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
A. V. Nebylov, V. A. Nebylov
Summary: This article discusses the safety issues of astronauts during the landing process and investigates how rescuers can effectively carry out rescue missions. The article also takes into account the special maritime conditions of the Vostochny cosmodrome.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Pietro Davide Maddio, Rosario Sinatra, Alberto Meschini, Riccardo Rigato, Marco Lapi, Davide Scarozza, Alessandro Cammarata
Summary: This study aims to develop a versatile cable net generation algorithm for designing offset cable nets in parabolic reflectors. The study proposes a methodology that leverages quasi-geodesic curves and introduces two types of these curves. The study also presents various solutions for different cable net layouts and introduces a quality index based on an equilateral triangle cable net.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Nahum Melamed, Tom Heinsheimer
Summary: Traditional methods of asteroid trajectory modification rely on impact or nuclear detonation, while centrifugal propulsion offers an alternative approach. The centrifuge system lands on the asteroid and gradually adjusts the trajectory using momentum transfer. This method allows for flexibility in operation parameters and has the potential to be used in planetary defense and other space missions.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Andrew Barth, Ou Ma
Summary: As humans continue to explore the surfaces of the Moon and Mars, the use of distributed heterogeneous robot teams can increase the chances of success by utilizing the complementary capabilities and synergy of the team members. Effective cooperation and collaboration between the members of a robot team is crucial, but defining a metric for effective cooperation is challenging. This paper presents a method for determining reward criteria that can be used for training robot swarm through reinforcement learning techniques. The trained robot team exhibits high success rates and cooperative behavior in test environments, demonstrating the robustness and scalability of the training strategies.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Kaijie Zhu, Qiquan Quan, Dewei Tang, Yachao Dong, Kaiyi Wang, Bo Tang, Qi Wu, Zongquan Deng
Summary: This study proposes a deployable Mars quadcopter for air patrol and sampling missions. By describing its structure, avionics architecture, and autonomous flight control method, it provides a feasible framework for future Mars flight sampling missions.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Avishai Melamed, Adi Rao, Sarah Kreps, Erika Palmer
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Colin Hunter, Avinkrishnan Vijayachandran, Anthony M. Waas
Summary: Deployable structures inspired by origami have gained significant prominence in space applications. Recent advancements in multi-material additive manufacturing have opened new possibilities for the fabrication of monolithic structures. This paper presents a novel framework for designing deployable structures using viscoelastic hinges incorporated into rigid plates. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of these hinge designs in real-world applications.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Aleksander V. Efremov, Mikhail S. Tiaglik, Aleksey S. Tiaglik, Iliyas Kh Irgaleev, Tatyana V. Voronka
Summary: Theoretical and experimental studies were conducted to determine the best kind of information presented on a predictive display for the highest accuracy in space mission execution, while considering reduced propellant consumption.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Fuwen Liang, Long Miao, Feng Tian, Jiahui Song, Ningfei Wang, Xiao Hou
Summary: This study investigates the influence of deployment friction on the dynamic characteristics of nonconductive space tether through experimental measurement and numerical simulation. The results show that deployment friction significantly limits the uncontrolled tether deployment, while increasing the initial deployment velocity and satellite effective mass, as well as decreasing orbital altitude, can enhance the deployment capability and dynamic stability. In addition, an optimal matching relationship between tether length and satellite total mass is proposed, which is of substantial importance for the design of nonconductive space tether systems.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Amirah R. Algethami, Colin R. McInnes, Matteo Ceriotti
Summary: This paper utilizes the Hill's approximation model to manipulate the relative motion of two asteroids by three impulses, resulting in their bound binary motion in Earth's orbit. The feasibility of this strategy is demonstrated, and potential applications for parking small captured near-Earth asteroids in Earth's orbit are discussed.
