Orbital rendezvous mission planning with complex constraints

The rendezvous and docking mission usually includes several phases, and the mission is performed phase by phase. In this paper a mathematical optimization model is established for rendezvous, taking all phases as a whole and considering all the complex constraints (e.g. communication link, sun illumination, etc.). Considering the shortage of ground station assets, a two-stage mission planning framework is proposed to solve the model and improve the rendezvous mission’s overall performance. In this framework, the upper stage works out a rough rendezvous path first to meet the overall requirements by using the two-body analytical propagator; while the lower stage focuses on modifying the rough path by using a high-precision propagator. Several planning and modifying methods are developed and applied to a practical rendezvous mission planning. The simulation results with detailed information show that this framework could resolve the rendezvous problem effectively, and all the modifying methods can improve the rough path, but different methods have different advantages. The simulations for changing computing condition show that with the proposed planning framework and methods, the considerations in different phases can trade with each other to improve the mission’s overall performance. The proposed methods are valuable for operational rendezvous mission planning, especially when communication time windows are limited.