Satellite constellation design with genetic algorithms based on system performance

Abstract

Satellite constellation design for space optical systems is essentially a multiple-objective optimization problem. In this work, to tackle this challenge, we first categorize the performance metrics of the space optical system by taking into account the system tasks (i.e., target detection and tracking). We then propose a new non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA) to maximize the system surveillance performance. Pareto optimal sets are employed to deal with the conflicts due to the presence of multiple cost functions. Simulation results verify the validity and the improved performance of the proposed technique over benchmark methods.