"LEO constellation design methodology for observing multi-targets" by Chen Zhang, Jin Jin et al.

Article Title

LEO constellation design methodology for observing multi-targets

Authors

Chen Zhang, Tsinghua Space Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Jin Jin, Tsinghua Space Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Linling Kuang, Tsinghua Space Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Jian Yan, Tsinghua Space Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Keywords

satellite constellation, remote sensing satellites, repeating ground track orbit, orbit perturbation, pruning method

Abstract

This paper is based on the second problem of the 8th China Space Trajectory DesignCompetition (CTOC8). The background is LEO constellation design strategy for monitoringdiscrete multi-targets with small satellite under J2 model. The difficulty is that the smallsatellite is equipped with low-cost cameras with limited coverage ability and the targets aredistributed separately in a key area, which result in long revisit time or large number ofsatellites based on traditional design method. In this paper, a specific LEO constellationdesign method is proposed to cope with the problems. First, grid search and numericalmethod are performed to construct a database consisting of repeating ground track orbits.Then several orbits are carefully selected by pruning method to visit each target. Finally,repeating ground track constellation is constructed to meet the maximum revisit timeconstraint. The present method provides a systematic constellation design methodologyof remote sensing observation with limited coverage ability, and demonstrates the resultingconstellation can obtain rapid revisit frequency over discrete multi-targets with the leastnumber of satellites.