In the 6th edition of the Chinese Space Trajectory Design Competition held in 2014, a near-Earth asteroid sample-return trajectory design problem was released, in which the motion of the spacecraft is modeled in multi...In the 6th edition of the Chinese Space Trajectory Design Competition held in 2014, a near-Earth asteroid sample-return trajectory design problem was released, in which the motion of the spacecraft is modeled in multi-body dynamics, considering the gravitational forces of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. It is proposed that an electric-propulsion spacecraft initially parking in a circular 200-kin-altitude low Earth orbit is expected to rendezvous with an asteroid and carry as much sample as possible back to the Earth in a 10-year time frame. The team from the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences has reported a solution with an asteroid sample mass of 328 tons, which is ranked first in the competition. In this article, we will present our design and optimization methods, primarily including overall analysis, target selection, escape from and capture by the Earth-Moon system, and optimization of impulsive and low-thrust trajectories that are modeled in multi-body dynamics. The orbital resonance concept and lunar gravity assists are considered key techniques employed for trajectory design. The reported solution, preliminarily revealing the feasibility of returning a hundreds-of-tons asteroid or asteroid sample, envisions future space missions relating to near-Earth asteroid exploration.展开更多
The 8th edition of the Global Trajectory Optimization Competition(GTOC8)presented a novel concept of a space-based very-long-baseline interferometry(VLBI)telescope in cislunar space for observing selected radio source...The 8th edition of the Global Trajectory Optimization Competition(GTOC8)presented a novel concept of a space-based very-long-baseline interferometry(VLBI)telescope in cislunar space for observing selected radio sources in cosmos.It requires designing a three-spacecraft triangular formation with changeable sizes and orientations such that observation can be scheduled as efficiently as possible.We first review the problem,and then describe the methods employed by representative teams participating in the competition.Subsequently,we present the design techniques employed by the team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences,which are primarily based on orbital-geometry analysis.Two efficient trajectory patterns are summarized:million-kilometer triangular formations with symmetric circular orbits,and consecutive-lunar-flyby trajectories with Moon-to-Moon transfer orbits.These two trajectory patterns enable establishing and reconfiguring the triangular formation with sufficiently different sizes so that a number of radio sources can be observed,thus maximizing the performance index.Finally,we present a solution with the best currently known score of J=158 million km.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant11372311)the grant from the State key Laboratory of Astronautic Dynamics(2014-ADL-DW0201)
文摘In the 6th edition of the Chinese Space Trajectory Design Competition held in 2014, a near-Earth asteroid sample-return trajectory design problem was released, in which the motion of the spacecraft is modeled in multi-body dynamics, considering the gravitational forces of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. It is proposed that an electric-propulsion spacecraft initially parking in a circular 200-kin-altitude low Earth orbit is expected to rendezvous with an asteroid and carry as much sample as possible back to the Earth in a 10-year time frame. The team from the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences has reported a solution with an asteroid sample mass of 328 tons, which is ranked first in the competition. In this article, we will present our design and optimization methods, primarily including overall analysis, target selection, escape from and capture by the Earth-Moon system, and optimization of impulsive and low-thrust trajectories that are modeled in multi-body dynamics. The orbital resonance concept and lunar gravity assists are considered key techniques employed for trajectory design. The reported solution, preliminarily revealing the feasibility of returning a hundreds-of-tons asteroid or asteroid sample, envisions future space missions relating to near-Earth asteroid exploration.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.11372311)the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.ZDRW-KT-2019-1).
文摘The 8th edition of the Global Trajectory Optimization Competition(GTOC8)presented a novel concept of a space-based very-long-baseline interferometry(VLBI)telescope in cislunar space for observing selected radio sources in cosmos.It requires designing a three-spacecraft triangular formation with changeable sizes and orientations such that observation can be scheduled as efficiently as possible.We first review the problem,and then describe the methods employed by representative teams participating in the competition.Subsequently,we present the design techniques employed by the team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences,which are primarily based on orbital-geometry analysis.Two efficient trajectory patterns are summarized:million-kilometer triangular formations with symmetric circular orbits,and consecutive-lunar-flyby trajectories with Moon-to-Moon transfer orbits.These two trajectory patterns enable establishing and reconfiguring the triangular formation with sufficiently different sizes so that a number of radio sources can be observed,thus maximizing the performance index.Finally,we present a solution with the best currently known score of J=158 million km.
