TWO-IMPULSE EVOLUTIONARY OPTIMIZATION OF SATELLITE FORMATION TRAJECTORIES OVER MULTIPLE REVOLUTIONS WITH TOPOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS

In this work we apply the evolutionary technique of Differential Evolution (DE) to topologically constrained trajectory optimization of a satellite formation limited to two-impulsive maneuvers considering a region of interest that spans multiple revolutions. The motivation and constraints for the problem are drawn from NASA's Magnetospheric Multi-Scale Mission (MMS). A single-revolution framework has been demonstrated to be capable of optimizing trajectories adhering to mission constraints. This two-impulse approach extends the amount of time considered during optimization such that trajectory optimization can be done in a manner that reduces the need for corrective maneuvers.