Methods of Orbit Clustering of Serviced Spacecraft

Abstract

When planning orbital service operations, it is important to rationally divide a set of orbits serviced by a spacecraft into subsets (clusters) of orbits. This article proposes a technique for clustering the orbits of serviced spacecraft in the event of their servicing by a reusable service spacecraft with an electric rocket low thrust engine. The technique is based on the method of K ‑ means. As the distance between any pair of orbits of the serviced spacecraft (metrics) of the method K - means, it was proposed to use the delta-V of the orbital transition between these orbits.In this paper, a technique has been developed for clustering orbits of serviced spacecrafts. The method is based on the method K ‑ means. As a distance between any pair of orbits of the serviced spacecraft orbits (metrics) of the method K ‑ means it is proposed to use the energy metric delta - V of the interorbital transition between these orbits.
 Using the proposed methodology, a computer program has been developed for clustering the orbits of serviced spacecraft. The results of the test calculations showed the effectiveness of the proposed clustering technique. The technique can be applied when planning orbital service operations.