Abstract The formation reconfiguration of multiple free-flying spacecraft is posed as an optimization problem involving minimum fuel expenditure. A method for obtaining simple solutions to this problem is proposed. The basic idea is to break up the formation reconfiguration process into a sequence of simple maneuvers involving a small number of spacecraft at a time. Moreover, the spacecraft move along straightline paths in the three-dimensional space. Thus, the minimum-fuel reconfiguration problem can be reduced to an optimization problem involving permutation groups. The proposed approach requires seeking fuel minimization over the set of all spacecraft permutation cycles of lengths ≥2. Examples are given to illustrate the application of the proposed method.
Minimum-Fuel Formation Reconfiguration of Multiple Free-Flying Spacecraft
The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences ; 47 , 1-2
1999
Article (Journal)
English
Minimum-Fuel Formation Reconfiguration of Multiple Free-Flying Spacecraft
Springer Verlag | 1999
|Minimum-Fuel Formation Reconfiguration of Multiple Free-Flying Spacecraft
Online Contents | 1999
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