Way Points Based Spacecraft Multi-Impulse Relative Trajectory Planning for the Space Tumbling Target Observation

The space target observation is significant to on-orbit serving scenarios, and the success of mission is dependent on the relative trajectory of observing spacecraft. In this paper, the observation of a specified surface on the tumbling target is implemented by the multi-impulse maneuver at relative motion way points, which are defined by the orientation of target surface and the relative distance. The velocity impulses and applied times are determined by the relative motion state transition matrix. First, assuming the impulses are applied with an equal time interval, the necessary condition of minimum-fuel multi-impulse maneuver is derived. Then, the result is used as the reference trajectory to optimize the relative trajectory with nonuniform time intervals multi-impulse maneuver by Harris hawks optimizer. The simulation results prove the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method in the balance of the fuel consumption and the limitation of maximum observed angle.