Optimization for far-distance and fuel-limited cooperative rendezvous between two coplanar spacecraft based on Lambert method

Abstract

Concentrating on far-distance and fuel cooperative rendezvous between two coplanar spacecraft under impulse thrust, this paper presents fuel-optimal results obtained by optimization algorithms numerically. Former research works have formulated optimization models of multiple-impulse orbit transfer and cooperative rendezvous under continuous thrust. In this paper, optimization models of cooperative rendezvous under impulse thrust are formulated based on these former researches. The process of cooperative rendezvous is simplified by introducing a hypothetical spacecraft. The degradation from cooperative rendezvous to active–passive rendezvous is prevented by revising objective functions. Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization and sequential quadratic programming are combined to solve a practical problem, which is used to illustrate advantages of cooperative rendezvous when fuel consumption of one spacecraft is limited.