US 12,304,664 B2
Maneuvering a spacecraft using an optimized guidance trajectory and model predictive control
Tyson Smith, Logan, UT (US); John Akagi, Logan, UT (US); and Greg Droge, Logan, UT (US)
Filed by Space Dynamics Laboratory, North Logan, UT (US)
Filed on Sep. 12, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/465,505.
Application 18/465,505 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/891,968, filed on Aug. 19, 2022.
Application 17/891,968 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/689,038, filed on Mar. 8, 2022, granted, now 12,129,051.
Prior Publication US 2024/0002072 A1, Jan. 4, 2024
Int. Cl. B64G 1/24 (2006.01); B64G 1/10 (2006.01); G06F 30/20 (2020.01)
CPC B64G 1/244 (2019.05) [B64G 1/1085 (2013.01); G06F 30/20 (2020.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
calculating, by use of a processor, a virtual point that represents a plurality of spacecraft orbiting in a spacecraft formation;
iteratively calculating an inner polytope boundary relative to the virtual point for a given spacecraft of the plurality of spacecraft; and
in response to determining the inner polytope boundary will be breached, maneuvering the given spacecraft to within the inner polytope boundary based on a switching condition, a guidance law, and model predictive control (MPC) to minimize fuel consumption, subject to an objective function comprising a control usage weight, a state error weight, and a terminal error weight.