A Large-Scale Scheduling Method for Multiple Agile Optical Satellites

This study investigates the scheduling problem ofmultiple agile optical satelliteswith large-scale tasks.This problem is difficult to solve owing to the time-dependent characteristic of agile optical satellites,complex constraints,and considerable solution space.To solve the problem,we propose a scheduling method based on an improved sine and cosine algorithm and a task merging approach.We first establish a scheduling model with task merging constraints and observation action constraints to describe the problem.Then,an improved sine and cosine algorithm is proposed to search for the optimal solution with the maximum profit ratio.An adaptive cosine factor and an adaptive greedy factor are adopted to improve the algorithm.Besides,a taskmerging method with a task reallocation mechanism is developed to improve the scheduling efficiency.Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm over the comparison algorithms.

Agile Satellite Mission Planning via Task Clustering and Double-Layer Tabu Algorithm

Satellite observation schedule is investigated in this paper.A mission planning algorithm of task clustering is proposed to improve the observation efficiency of agile satellite.The newly developed method can make the satellite observe more targets and therefore save observation resources.First,for the densely distributed target points,a preprocessing scheme based on task clustering is proposed.The target points are clustered according to the distance condition.Second,the local observation path is generated by Tabu algorithm in the inner layer of cluster regions.Third,considering the scatter and cluster sets,the global observation path is obtained by adopting Tabu algorithm in the outer layer.Simulation results show that the algorithm can effectively reduce the task planning time of large-scale point targets while ensuring the optimal solution quality.

The output torque estimation of MCMG for agile satellites

Studied in this paper are the attitude control law design and the output torque estimation problem of micro control moment gyros （MCMGs） for the agile satellites executing rapid attitude maneuver mission. An algorithm is proposed for estimating the output torques and the gimbal angular rates of MCMGs, which can help engineers to choose reasonable size for actuators so that the cost of satellite can be decreased. According to some special maneuver missions, a numerical example of attitude control system for a small satellite with MCMGs in pyramid configuration is studied, and the simulation results validate the proposed estimation algorithm.

Mission Planning and Action Planning for Agile Earth-Observing Satellite with Genetic Algorithm

This paper concerns the mission scheduling problem for an agile Earth-observing satellite. Mission planning and action planning for the satellite are both taking into account. Multiple mission types( including multi-strip area,real time download request,and stereoscopic request) and complex satellite actions,such as observe action and data download action,are considered in this paper. Through reasonable analysis of specialties and operational constraints of agile satellites in observing process,the mission scheduling model under multiple objective conditions is constructed. A genetic algorithm combined with heuristic rules is designed to solve problem. Genetic algorithm is designed to arrange user missions and heuristic rules are used to arrange satellite actions. Experiment results suggest that our algorithm works well for the agile Earth-observing satellite scheduling problem.

Real-time online rescheduling for multiple agile satellites with emergent tasks

The emergent task is a kind of uncertain event that satellite systems often encounter in the application process.In this paper,the multi-satellite distributed coordinating and scheduling problem considering emergent tasks is studied.Due to the limitation of onboard computational resources and time,common online onboard rescheduling methods for such problems usually adopt simple greedy methods,sacrificing the solution quality to deliver timely solutions.To better solve the problem,a new multi-satellite onboard scheduling and coordinating framework based on multi-solution integration is proposed.This method uses high computational power on the ground and generates multiple solutions,changing the complex onboard rescheduling problem to a solution selection problem.With this method,it is possible that little time is used to generate a solution that is as good as the solutions on the ground.We further propose several multi-satellite coordination methods based on the multi-agent Markov decision process(MMDP)and mixed-integer programming(MIP).These methods enable the satellite to make independent decisions and produce high-quality solutions.Compared with the traditional centralized scheduling method,the proposed distributed method reduces the cost of satellite communication and increases the response speed for emergent tasks.Extensive experiments show that the proposed multi-solution integration framework and the distributed coordinating strategies are efficient and effective for onboard scheduling considering emergent tasks.

Attitude control for part actuator failure of agile small satellite

The stability and singularity problem of agile small satellite （ASS） with actuator failure is discussed in this paper. Firstly, the three-axis stabilized controller of an ASS is designed, where micro control moment gyros （MCMG＇s） in pyramid configuration （PC） is used as the actuator. By using the same controller and steering law, the control results before and after one gyro fails are compared by simulation. The variation of singular momentum envelope before and after one gyro fails is also compared. The simulation results show that the failure intensively decreases the capacity of output torque, which leads to the emergence of more singular points and the rapid saturation of MCMG＇s. Finally, the parameters of system controller are changed to compare the control effect.

Improved algorithms to plan missions for agile earth observation satellites

This study concentrates of the new generation of the agile （AEOS）. AEOS is a key study object on management problems earth observation satellite in many countries because of its many advantages over non-agile satellites. Hence, the mission planning and scheduling of AEOS is a popular research problem. This research investigates AEOS characteristics and establishes a mission planning model based on the working principle and constraints of AEOS as per analysis. To solve the scheduling issue of AEOS, several improved algorithms are developed. Simulation results suggest that these algorithms are effective.

Staring-imaging satellite pointing estimation based on sequential ISAR images

Pointing estimation for spacecraft using Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar(ISAR)images plays a significant role in space situational awareness and surveillance.However,feature extraction and cross-range scaling of ISAR images create bottlenecks that limit performances of current estimation methods.Especially,the emergence of staring imaging satellites,characterized by complex kinematic behaviors,presents a novel challenge to this task.To address these issues,this article proposes a pointing estimation method based on Convolutional Neural Networks(CNNs)and a numerical optimization algorithm.A satellite’s main axis,which is extracted from ISAR images by a proposed Semantic Axis Region Regression Net(SARRN),is chosen for investigation in this article due to its unique structure.Specifically,considering the kinematic characteristic of the staring satellite,an ISAR imaging model is established to bridge the target pointing and the extracted axes.Based on the imaging model,pointing estimation and cross-range scaling can be described as a maximum likelihood estimation problem,and an iterative optimization algorithm modified by using the strategy of random sampling-consistency check and weighted least squares is proposed to solve this problem.Finally,the pointing of targets and the cross-range scaling factors of ISAR images are obtained.Simulation experiments based on actual satellite orbital parameters verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.This work can improve the performance of satellite reconnaissance warning,while accurate cross-range scaling can provide a basis for subsequent data processes such as 3D reconstruction and attitude estimation.

Agile Earth Observation Satellite Scheduling Algorithm for Emergency Tasks Based on Multiple Strategies

During the execution of imaging tasks,satellites are often required to observe natural disasters,local wars,and other emergencies,which regularly interferes with the execution of existing schemes.Thus,rapid satellite scheduling is urgently needed.As a new generation of three degree-of-freedom(roll,pitch,and yaw)satellites,agile earth observation satellites(AEOSs)have longer variable-pitch visible time windows for ground targets and are capable of observing at any time within the time windows.Thus,they are very suitable for emergency tasks.However,current task scheduling models and algorithms ignore the time,storage and energy consumed by pitch.Thus,these cannot make full use of the AEOS capabilities to optimize the scheduling for emergency tasks.In this study,we present a fine scheduling model and algorithm to realize the AEOS scheduling for emergency tasks.First,a novel time window division method is proposed to convert a variable-pitch visible time window to multiple fixed-pitch visible time windows.Second,a model that considers flexible pitch and roll capabilities is designed.Finally,a scheduling algorithm based on merging insertion,direct insertion,shifting insertion,deleting insertion,and reinsertion strategies is proposed to solve conflicting problems quickly.To verify the effectiveness of the algorithm,48 groups of comparative experiments are carried out.The experimental results show that the model and algorithm can improve the emergency task completion efficiency of AEOSs and reduce the disturbance measure of the scheme.Furthermore,the proposed method can support hybrid satellite resource scheduling for emergency tasks.

A rapid method for validation and visualization of agile Earth-observation satellites scheduling

This paper describes a rapid method for validation and visualization of agile Earth-observation satellites scheduling.Benefited from the previous work,various algorithms are proposed for scheduling the observations of agile satellites.However,the satellite maneuvers are three-dimensional,this characteristic makes it difficult for the operation engineers to validate and interpret the scheduled solutions.They have to plot these attitude data to analyze different situations such as an observing phase or a slew maneuver.Finally,one tries to imagine the three-dimensional situations from many one-dimensional plots,which is time-consuming and susceptible to errors.Moreover,now it is low-efficiency to deal with the data about ephemeris,targets,etc.,because different software platforms are required.In this research,a validation and visualization method is suggested to overcome this barrier.It is successful to integrate the Satellite Tool Kit ActiveX and the C#programming language.Based on the embedded scheme,all the interaction and assessment can be visualized.Practical techniques for modelling satellite objects,sensor objects,target objects and satellite attitudes are presented.Such a method has been applied for Chinese agile satellites project,and a software interface has been developed.The simulation results indicate that the proposed method is intuitive and efficient.Note that this method is general,and thus it can be applied to other Earth observation missions.Enough details are provided for interested readers to develop the software interface.