Spacecraft energy management using convex optimisation

Abstract

This paper considers a spacecraft energy management strategy for optimally scheduling the power available for secondary tasks, such as communications and scientific payloads, while meeting the power demand for primary tasks, such as thermal management and propulsion, and adhering to operating constraints. A solution based on convex optimisation and model predictive control is proposed. Mathematical models of the various energy subsystems are used to formulate the energy management task over a future horizon as a constrained optimisation problem. We show that this problem can be formulated as a convex program and we derive an energy management strategy in the form of a model predictive control law. The convex problem formulation guarantees global optimality of the presented solution and opens the way for future onboard real-time implementations.