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Fast, Safe, Propellant-Efficient Spacecraft Motion Planning Under Clohessy-Wiltshire-Hill DynamicsThis paper presents a sampling-based motion planning algorithm for real-time and propellant-optimized autonomous spacecraft trajectory generation in near-circular orbits. Specifically, this paper leverages recent algorithmic advances in the field of robot motion planning to the problem of impulsively actuated, propellant- optimized rendezvous and proximity operations under the Clohessy-Wiltshire-Hill dynamics model. The approach calls upon a modified version of the FMT* algorithm to grow a set of feasible trajectories over a deterministic, low-dispersion set of sample points covering the free state space. To enforce safety, the tree is only grown over the subset of actively safe samples, from which there exists a feasible one-burn collision-avoidance maneuver that can safely circularize the spacecraft orbit along its coasting arc under a given set of potential thruster failures. Key features of the proposed algorithm include 1) theoretical guarantees in terms of trajectory safety and performance, 2) amenability to real-time implementation, and 3) generality, in the sense that a large class of constraints can be handled directly. As a result, the proposed algorithm offers the potential for widespread application, ranging from on-orbit satellite servicing to orbital debris removal and autonomous inspection missions.
Document ID
20170010179
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Starek, Joseph A.
(Stanford Univ. Stanford, CA, United States)
Schmerling, Edward
(Stanford Univ. Stanford, CA, United States)
Maher, Gabriel D.
(Stanford Univ. Stanford, CA, United States)
Barbee, Brent W.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Pavone, Marco
(Stanford Univ. Stanford, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
October 18, 2017
Publication Date
September 9, 2016
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics
Volume: 40
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0731-5090
e-ISSN: 1533-3884
Subject Category
Astrodynamics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN46943
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX12AQ43G
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
spacecraft relative motio

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