Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics Commons^™

Data-Driven Learning Algorithms To Predict Spacecraft Trajectories In The Dro Family, Sarath Murarisetty, Hansaka Aluvihare Aluvihare, Oshani Jayawardane, Annika Anderson

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Generating precise, accurate, and efficient trajectories in the Earth-Moon circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) is crucial for long-term lunar missions, yet it remains challenging. A primary reason for this is that the CR3BP is an extremely nonlinear and chaotic system. Fortunately, neural networks present a promising approach for addressing such complex nonlinear challenges. In “Data-driven Learning Algorithms to Predict Spacecraft Trajectories in the DRO Family,” this work addresses the challenge of solving a nonlinear system within the CR3BP framework to determine the trajectories of spacecraft within the Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) family using neural networks (NNs). For a comprehensive comparison …

Modeling A Spaceborne Passive Radar Architecture For Tracking Resident Space Objects Using Ground-Based Signals Of Opportunity, Chinmay Gaikwad

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Modeling a Spaceborne Passive Radar Architecture for Tracking Resident Space Objects Using Ground-Based Signals of Opportunity Due to an increase in manned and unmanned space activities, there is an increase in demand for resilient space operations. This project investigates passive-radar architecture for space domain awareness in which satellites in a low-Earth-orbit mega-constellation are adapted as distributed sensing platforms for tracking debris and other non-cooperative resident space objects. The motivation is to overcome the coverage, cost, and scalability limits of conventional active or ground-based systems by using lightweight passive receivers that exploit ground-based illuminators of opportunity. In this concept, the receivers …

Sun-Synchronous Low Earth Orbit Missions For Imaging Applications, Isaac Rosenthal

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Orbit and mission design are crucial elements that must be considered to achieve Earth observation data for land monitoring. This project examines the sun-synchronous low Earth orbit (LEO) implementations of missions with similar objectives: NASA’s Landsat 8 and ESA’s Sentinel-2 constellation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how differing mission designs, impact imaging and coverage capabilities. Key design trade offs between the two missions include altitude effects on atmospheric drag and station-keeping, swath width versus field-of-view choices, and a single, centralized spacecraft architecture versus a multi-satellite distributed system. This is accomplished by analyzing different orbital parameters, ground track …

Gravity Gradient Exploration Satellite, Luke Ritchie, Isaac Rosenthal, Benjamin Mason, Nathaniel O’Hara

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Gravity Gradient Exploration Satellite (GGEOS) is a single-unit CubeSat technology demonstration being developed by a group of four undergraduate aerospace engineering students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The mission is designed to validate a controlled, motor-driven, semi-rigid space-tether and deployment system. Space tethers offer significant potential for gravity gradient stabilization and propellant-less electrodynamic propulsion, however past missions have frequently failed due to rebound and tangling from their spring-based deployment systems and elastic tethers. GGEOS mitigates these challenges using a semi-rigid, tape-measure-like tether, deployed with a stepper-motor-driven extrusion system enabling slow, controlled deployment and reduced post-deployment problems. The spacecraft architecture utilizes …

Adaptive Control Combined With Integral Concurrent Learning For Trajectory Tracking Near Asteroids, Alvaro Diaz Rodrigo

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Close-proximity operations in the vicinity of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are essential for scientific studies and possible future planetary-defense missions. Unlike motion around large celestial bodies, spacecraft dynamics near small, rotating asteroids are dominated by weak, highly irregular gravity fields. While full characterization of an asteroid’s shape enables high-fidelity gravitational modeling, such information is typically unavailable in realistic mission scenarios, and in-situ exploration is often required. As a result, the forces acting on the spacecraft cannot be modeled accurately in advance, leading to significant uncertainty in the equations of motion and challenging guidance and control strategies. To address these challenges, the …

Adaptive Artificial Potential Field Guidance And Control For Autonomous Docking With Uncooperative And Unknown Spacecraft, Steven Holmberg

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for on-orbit servicing (OOS), active debris removal (ADR), and space domain awareness (SDA) missions has increased the need for autonomous spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) with uncooperative and unknown targets. Traditional guidance and control methods are typically designed for cooperative systems with known geometry and state information. This work builds on previous research to develop and evaluate an artificial potential field (APF)-based control framework capable of autonomous operation with minimal prior target knowledge and applicability to both relatively static and tumbling spacecraft.

The proposed APF formulation incorporates established safety constructs from cooperative docking systems, including an …

Set-Theoretic Reachability-Informed Model Predictive Control For Mechanical And Aerospace Systems, Jinaykumar Nitinkumar Patel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations

Modern mechanical and aerospace systems increasingly operate autonomously in environments characterized by nonlinear dynamics, uncertainty, and safety constraints. In these settings, estimation and control methods based on nominal models and single-point trajectory predictions are usually insufficient to ensure safe and reliable operation. This dissertation uses a set-theoretic perspective, in which the system state, uncertainty, and admissible behavior are described by sets instead of point estimates. The key question is not only what the state is, but what set of states remains consistent with the dynamics, disturbances, control limits, and available measurements. This provides bounded descriptions of uncertainty and supports control …

Orbital Maneuvers And Interplanetary Trajectory Design Via Reinforcement Learning, Roberto Cuéllar Rangel

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This dissertation investigates the application of reinforcement learning (RL) to the design and optimization of low-thrust spacecraft trajectories, with an emphasis on autonomy, adaptability, and robustness in the presence of system uncertainties and unmodeled perturbations. Classical approaches to low-thrust trajectory design are predominantly grounded in optimal control theory, which relies on the availability of precise dynamical models and often requires problem-specific reformulation and solver tuning. While optimal control methods offer high accuracy under deterministic conditions, their sensitivity to stochastic disturbances and computational limitations in highly nonlinear or uncertain environments pose significant challenges for future autonomous space missions.

To address these …

Robust Adaptive Rigid Body State And Mass Property Estimation Via Unscented Kalman Filter On Tse(3) With Process Noise Estimation, Herman Gunter

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Mass property estimation, including mass, center of mass, and moment of inertia, is a crucial yet challenging problem in spacecraft autonomy and astrodynamics. Knowledge of mass properties of a spacecraft is essential for future astronautical missions, as changes in the mass properties of a spacecraft due to a shift in cargo distribution often require a careful and costly recalculation to ensure applied control inputs produce the desired results. As spacecraft missions grow in both duration and number, meeting the need for precise and accurate measurements becomes increasingly complex. Stochastic effects, such as angle and velocity random walks, along with persistent …

Solar Sailing Adaptive Control Around The Earth-Moon Lagrange Point L4 For Stellar Observations, Luis Mendoza Zambrano

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

To expand our knowledge about the influence of the Sun in the cislunar region, as well as our understanding of shocks due to Coronal Mass Ejections and large coronal magnetic reconnection, a solar sailing approach is proposed to separately capture lunar occultations and observe the solar corona from L₄ of the Earth-Moon system. Single and multiple shooting techniques are described along with a pseudo arc-length continuation method for preliminary orbit design. Periodic orbits in the vicinity of L₄ are obtained in the context of the Earth-Moon circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) and the Sun-Earth-Moon bi-circular restricted four-body problem …

Satellite Reorientation Using Reinforcement Learning Under Unknown Attitude Failure, Matthew Willoughby

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This study presents a reinforcement learning (RL) approach for reestablishing communication with deep-space satellites under unknown attitude determination and control system (ADCS) failures. When traditional fault-tolerant control methods cannot restore signal, the proposed RL controller acts as a last-resort measure by autonomously reorienting the satellite’s antenna toward Earth while charging the battery via solar panels. A generic reward function, designed for the RL-based method, enables the controller to adapt to diverse failure scenarios, including severe actuator noise, misalignment, and complete actuator failure. Simulations are conducted in the Basilisk environment and trained with the tonic framework and demonstrate ranging capabilities of …

Utilizing Augmented Reality For Immersive Space Mission Design, Joseph Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Designing spacecraft mission trajectories is a complex, tedious, and stringent process that requires a strong background in astrodynamics and programming due to the complex dynamical environment of space. The current 2D visualization methods for displaying these geometrically abstract trajectories make it difficult to understand the true nature of more complex orbits. Advancements in immersive headsets and their intuitive interaction capabilities make them ideal for solving and understanding 3D problems that require complex spatial representations, revealing an innovative and unique opportunity for the astrodynamics and space mission planning field. This effort covers the development of an immersive space mission design tool …

Coupled Dynamics In The Cislunar Region And Spacecraft Attitude Prediction In A Higher-Fidelity Model​, Annika Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The cislunar region of space is a complex, multi-body dynamical environment that cannot be modeled trivially. Traditional point-mass assumptions made to simplify the mission design process may be insufficient for accurately predicting spacecraft motion in environments where orbit-attitude coupling is non-negligible. One of the most famous of such models is the circular restricted three-body problem. This thesis advances the state of the art in astrodynamics by modeling all bodies in the problem as rigid bodies, allowing for spacecraft orientation to be propagated and considered. Two models are under consideration—the circular restricted full three-body problem (CRF3BP) and a full higher-fidelity ephemeris …

Robust Spacecraft Autonomy For Deep Space Exploration In Special Euclidean Group Se(3), Matthew Wittal

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Over the past half-century, humanity has gained extensive experience conducting manned spaceflight near Earth. Arguably, "near Earth" could even include the Moon — the most distant destination humans have reached. However, "near" in this work primarily refers low Earth orbit (LEO). One could argue that we have not truly left Earth since the Apollo, as spacecraft in some LEOs remain subject to atmospheric drag thus emphasizing their continued connection to Earth's immediate environment. Reflecting on this, it becomes clear that humanity has largely remained bound to Earth’s immediate vicinity since the Apollo missions reached the Moon. However, that is set …

An Investigation Into The Use Of Amateur Astronomy Equipment For Optical Orbit Determination Using A Mobile Telescope Platform, Johan C. Govaars

Master's Theses

The process of optical orbit determination has long been in the domain of large organizations and stationary observatories with highly specialized scientific equipment. This thesis seeks to determine not only if satellites can be captured regularly using purely commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment, but also if initial orbit determinations can be made using that data. Moreover, the use of a mobile telescope platform allows users to circumvent the restrictions of fixed observatories such as low horizon viewing restrictions or existing light pollution.

A completely COTS setup was utilized that included an 8-inch Celestron NextStar 8SE telescope with an f/6.3 focal reducer and …

Sliding Mode Control With Chattering Reduction, Suryamshu Ramesh

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Sliding Mode Control is a powerful nonlinear control methodology that can handle parametric uncertainties and external disturbances. However, the discontinuous and high-frequency switching nature of the control law introduces the chattering phenomenon, which leads to potential actuator degradation, alterations to the desired response characteristics and, sometimes, instability during control implementation. The main objective of this thesis is to study Sliding Mode Control with chattering reduction. The Sliding Mode Control law involves an equivalent control component and a discontinuous control component. A disturbance estimation is performed based on Lyapunov analysis and adaptive control techniques and then included in the control law …

Exploring The Feasibility Of The Resonance Corridor Method For Post Mission Disposal Of High-Leo Constellations, Payton G. Porter

Master's Theses

In the upcoming decade, the proliferation of high-LEO constellations is expected to exceed 20,000 objects, yet comprehensive Post Mission Disposal (PMD) strategies for these constellations are currently lacking. With the inherent challenges of efficiently deorbiting satellites from High-LEO orbits, there arises an urgent need to explore innovative approaches. Building upon insights garnered from the ReDSHIFT project and anticipating the proliferation of high-LEO constellations such as OneWeb, TeleSat, and GuoWang, this thesis delves into the potential viability of the Resonance Corridor Method for PMD. The investigation encompasses key metrics, including deorbit timelines and $\Delta v$ requirements to meet regulatory standards or …

Embedded State Estimation For Optimization Of Cislunar Space Domain Awareness Constellation Design, Thomas Henry Clareson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The traffic in cislunar space is expected to increase over the coming years, leading to a higher likelihood of conjunction events among active satellites, orbital debris, and non-cooperative satellites. This increase necessitates enhanced space domain awareness (SDA) capabilities that include state estimation for targets of interest. Both Earth surface-based and space-based observation platforms in geosynchronous orbit or below face challenges such as range, exclusion, and occlusion that hinder observation. Motivated by the need to place space-based observers in the cislunar space regime to overcome these challenges, this paper proposes a cislunar SDA constellation design and analysis framework that integrates state …

Testing And Implementation Of Attitude Determination & Control System For Arksat-1 Cubesatellite, Cassandra Sands

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ARKSAT-1 is a CubeSatellite (CubeSat) developed at the University of Arkansas and launched to the International Space Station on SpaceX mission SPX-27 launching from Kennedy Space Center as part of the NASA’s 8th CubeSat Launch Initiative CSLI-8. ARKSAT-1’s payload features a high-powered LED, the Solid State Inflatable Balloon (SSIB) deorbiting system applicable to small satellites, and a series of InfraRed and Visible cameras. To point the LED or take images of desired observational targets, the spacecraft will need to be able to determine its orientation within its orbit, as well as rotate. This will be achieved through the use of …

Rigid Body Constrained Motion Optimization And Control On Lie Groups And Their Tangent Bundles, Brennan S. Mccann

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Rigid body motion requires formulations where rotational and translational motion are accounted for appropriately. Two Lie groups, the special orthogonal group SO(3) and the space of quaternions H, are commonly used to represent attitude. When considering rigid body pose, that is spacecraft position and attitude, the special Euclidean group SE(3) and the space of dual quaternions DH are frequently utilized. All these groups are Lie groups and Riemannian manifolds, and these identifications have profound implications for dynamics and controls. The trajectory optimization and optimal control problem on Riemannian manifolds presents significant opportunities for theoretical development. Riemannian optimization is an attractive …

Distributed Control Of Servicing Satellite Fleet Using Horizon Simulation Framework, Scott Plantenga

Master's Theses

On-orbit satellite servicing is critical to maximizing space utilization and sustainability and is of growing interest for commercial, civil, and defense applications. Reliance on astronauts or anchored robotic arms for the servicing of next-generation large, complex space structures operating beyond Low Earth Orbit is impractical. Substantial literature has investigated the mission design and analysis of robotic servicing missions that utilize a single servicing satellite to approach and service a single target satellite. This motivates the present research to investigate a fleet of servicing satellites performing several operations for a large, central space structure.

This research leverages a distributed control approach, …

Autonomous Space Surveillance For Arbitrary Domains, David Zuehlke

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Space is becoming increasingly congested every day and the task of accurately tracking satellites is paramount for the continued safe operation of both manned and unmanned space missions. In addition to new spacecraft launches, satellite break-up events and collisions generate large amounts of orbital debris dramatically increasing the number of orbiting objects with each such event. In order to prevent collisions and protect both life and property in orbit, accurate knowledge of the position of orbiting objects is necessary. Space Domain Awareness (SDA) used interchangeably with Space Situational Awareness (SSA), are the names given to the daunting task of tracking …

Dynamic Analysis Of Cubesat Impact On Lunar Surface, Dalton C. Korczyk

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

EagleCam is a pico-satellite (CubeSat) with dimensions of 100 x 100 x 150 mm3 that is going to the moon as a payload of the Intuitive Machines Nova-C lunar lander. The CubeSat’s purpose is to record the lunar landing from a 3rd person view. Unlike other CubeSats, EagleCam is designed to impact the lunar surface and there is no history to build off of. Specifically, EagleCam will need to survive a 30 m drop onto the lunar surface with all internal components fully operational post impact. This thesis is focused on the analytical, numerical, and experimental methods for determining the …

Developing A Light Curve Simulation Tool For Ground And Space-Based Observations Of Spacecraft And Debris, Andrew T. Ochoa

Master's Theses

A light curve is a plot of brightness versus time of an object. Light curves are dependent on orbit, attitude, surface area, size, and shape of the observed object. Using light curve data, several analysis methods have been developed to derive these parameters. These parameters can be used for tracking orbital debris, monitoring satellite health, and determining the mission of an unknown spacecraft.

This paper discusses the development, verification, and utilization of a tool that simulates light curve data. This tool models ground-based observations, space-based observations, self-shadowing geometry, tumbling debris, and controlled spacecraft. The main output from the tool is …

Issue 18: Contributors, Don Flournoy

Online Journal of Space Communication

List of Issue 18 Contributors

Sunsat Design Competition 2015-2016 First Place Winner – Team Space Transport: Power Satellites Beamed Energy Bootstrapping, Keith Henson, Anna Nesterova

Online Journal of Space Communication

This International SunSat Design Competition first-place winner for 2016 describes a beamed energy transport system that will operate in Space above low earth orbit (LEO) as a way to move power satellite parts into high orbits.

This design, entitled “Beamed Energy Bootstrapping,” makes use of small propulsion power satellites to provide the energy for space-based vehicles using electric arcjets. The proposal lays out a scheme to get the first propulsion power satellite in place without damage as it passes through the orbiting space junk below 2000 km.

Click here to see the video: Space Transport for Power Satellites Beamed Energy …

Sunsat Design Competition 2015-2016 Second Place Winner – Team Pathway To Power : Wireless Power Transfer, Javier Tandazo, Ethan Wong, Curtis Waggoner, John Guggenheim, Alexander Carter

Online Journal of Space Communication

Solar Power Satellites (SPS) using Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) to beam renewable energy to consumers on earth face three grand challenges: moving parts, heat dissipation, and radio interference. Solutions to each of these “show stoppers” are presented here. Further, a progressively more-complex pathway is described which starts where we are now and leads step-wise to implementation of large-scale Space Solar Power (SSP).

The first two grand challenges are addressed by a novel SPS design based on a thin-walled cylinder configuration of solar panels. The remaining challenge is tackled through a newly-discovered antenna configuration which allows dramatic reduction in radio/telecom interference …

Sunsat Design Competition 2014-2015 Third Place Winner – Team Martian: Space Solar Power Test Bed, Jeremy Straub, Tristan Plante, Benjamin Kading, Alex Holland, Landon Klein, Jordan Forbord

Online Journal of Space Communication

We propose a four-stage plan to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of Space Solar Power (SSP) for use on Earth. Our project goal is to achieve Technology Readiness Level (TRL) by means of: 1) a test mission in low Earth orbit using a small spacecraft; 2) that will support a manned mission to Mars; 3) that includes a bent pipe experiment (power supplied from Earth, to a spacecraft and back to Earth), and 4) to complete system deployment.

The primary impediment to SSP implementation is thought to be the acceptance of the system by those on Earth who may be …

Sunsat Design Competition 2014-2015 First Place Winner – Team Cast: Multi-Rotary Joints Sps, Xinbin Hou, Meng Li, Lili Niu, Lu Zhou, Ying Chen, Zhengai Cheng, Haipeng Ji

Online Journal of Space Communication

Space Power Satellite (SPS) is a huge spacecraft designed to collect solar energy in space for supplying electric power to the electric grid on the ground. The SPS concept was first proposed by Dr. Peter Glaser in 1968.

Various studies on SPS in various countries have been produced over the past forty years. Today, there are multiple variations on this early concept, both in innovation and in optimization. Because of the huge size, immense mass and high power of these SPS installations, there are many technological difficulties.

Here, a new Multi-Rotary Joints SPS (MR-SPS) concept is proposed. The large solar …

Sunsat Design Competition 2014-2015 Second Place Winner – Team Sunflower: Thermal Power Satellite, Keith Henson, Steve Nixon, Kris Holland, Anna Nesterova

Online Journal of Space Communication

Space-based Solar Power has failed to be competitive on cost in spite of decades of study. A new approach appears to resolve the cost issue, undercutting coal and opening huge markets for low cost solar power from space. There are two parts to the problem. First is the cost of lifting parts to Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO; second is the mass of parts that make up a power satellite.

Our team is proposing a combination that makes use of Skylon to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and a 15,000 ton payload ground powered electric propulsion from LEO to GEO. This strategy …