A Review of Cislunar Constellation Design and Optimization

With the increasing interest in cislunar space exploration, a variety of cislunar missions are being proposed. To support the implementation of diverse missions, it is necessary to establish different types of cislunar constellations. Although there is abundant research on cislunar constellation design, a comprehensive review is still lacking. This review addresses this gap by establishing a theoretical framework for the design and optimization of cislunar constellations through an examination of relevant literature. Firstly, common orbital types and their applications in cislunar constellations are summarized. Subsequently, various types of existing cislunar constellations are introduced, including those in the development phase and those still in the conceptual design phase. A unified constellation performance evaluation system is then established, consisting of two types of performance metrics: metrics associated to specific missions and general metrics applicable to all types of constellations. Following this, design strategies and results for cislunar constellations are collated and summarized. An analysis based on the research overview reveals the trends in cislunar constellation design and optimization. Finally, future prospects on cislunar constellation design and optimization are discussed.