Fuel-Efficient Interferometric Imaging Maneuvers in Near-Earth Orbit

Abstract

In this paper, a methodology to design fuel-efficient maneuvers for space-based interferometric imaging systems located in near-Earth orbits, under time and imaging constraints, is proposed. The methodology is hierarchical and consists of a higher-level nonlinear programming problem and a lower-level linear quadratic tracker. Solutions are obtained for the purpose of quantifying the relationship between the quality of an image obtained by a multispacecraft interferometric imaging system and the dynamic requirements of such imaging maneuvers. These maneuvers are then used for the design of a system capable of obtaining very-high-resolution images from a near-Earth orbital location. To relate the fuel requirements with image quality, the relationship between the imaging process and the error in the final image is studied, and a quality factor is designed to relate the reliability of an image to the trajectory of the spacecraft and, hence, the fuel usage. As an application, a midinfrared imager system located at geostationary orbit is studied and features of the design of such maneuvers are enumerated.