Rapid Trajectory Construction for Spacecraft within Multi-Body Systems

Due to an increasing number of spacecraft planning to operate in the chaotic regimes of multi-body systems, traditional Keplerian motion is no longer sufficient for operational trajectory design. Currently, trajectory design in multi-body systems involves separating a mission itinerary into distinct phases, determining candidate structures for each phase, and connecting these structures to discover a nearby solution. However, this current methodology is reliant on the quality of the initial guess (i.e. the identified dynamical structures for each phase) as well as the exploration of complex multi-dimensional families of fundamental solutions in approximate dynamical models, including periodic and quasi-periodic orbits. Consequently, I propose a new approach to trajectory design: the development of algorithms that can rapidly construct a good initial guess for a trajectory from a set of simplified representations of the families of structures found in a multi-body system. My research focuses on constructing a set of fundamental motion primitives derived from larger families of solutions in a multi-body system using statistical classification. An initial guess for a trajectory can then be intuitively constructed from the identified motion primitives by merging the experience and intuition of a mission designer with the computational capabilities of a computer. Finally, the initial guess can be transitioned to a high-fidelity model for operational use through a corrections algorithm such as collocation. Developing a rapid and intuitive means of constructing trajectories in multi-body systems will increase the ability to efficiently and rapidly explore future mission concepts and also respond to contingency scenarios in time-critical operational environments. The proposed research will enable the development of spacecraft trajectories for future NASA missions by means of informed trajectory design in complex multi-body systems, addressing NASA’s need for analysis tools that can design complex missions as identified in Technology Area (TA) 11.2.6 in the 2015 NASA Technology Roadmaps.

The proposed research will enable the development of spacecraft trajectories for future NASA missions by means of informed trajectory design in complex multi-body systems, addressing NASA’s need for analysis tools that can design complex missions as identified in Technology Area (TA) 11.2.6 in the 2015 NASA Technology Roadmaps.

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