ACT - Mission Analysis and Design

Mission Analysis and Design

Past Projects

The concluded mission analysis activities of the Advanced Concepts Team are listed here. On a separate page you find projects that are currently ongoing.

Global Trajectory Optimisation Competition (GTOC)

This yearly competition aims at advancing the automation of the trajectory design process. The competition has been taken up by the community after its first edition organized by the Advanced Concepts Team.

Advances in Global Optimisation for Interplanetary Trajectory Design

The main goal of this activity is to improve the numerical efficiency of the trajectory design process by resorting to the latest advances in global optimisation theory and astrodynamics.

Asteroid and Near Earth Objects

Research on future asteroid mitigation and exploration concepts and on new tools to support future asteroid missions.

Robust Control for Low-Thrust Interplanetary Trajectories

The purpose of this research project is to introduce novel approaches and methods for designing robust control for low-thrust interplanetary trajectories, in the case of physical perturbations and incertainties, or momentary engine failures.

Satellite Swarms Dynamics and Control

A satellite swarm is an ensamble of mutually interacting spacecraft performing a number of tasks in a coordinated manner.

Space Webs: Laying The Foundation for Future Large Space Structures

Space webs are lightweight structures made up by a series of threads waived together with a given pattern. They can cover large surfaces without eccessive mass and volume penalties.

Magic Inclinations

A search for bounded relative satellite motion has been carried out approaching the problem numerically as an optimisation problem. Two previously unknown inclination values, here referred to as "magic" are found.

Exponential Sinusoids

A simplified representation of low thrust trajectories allows for an efficient global optimisation process. Exponential sinusoids are a promising shape .....

Workshop on Advanced Concepts

The Workshop on Innovative Systems Concepts has been organized to favour the exchange of new ideas and to stimulate unconventional thinking about space research.

1st Global Trajectory Optimisation Competition

Seventeen international teams started working on a trajectory optimisation problem released by the ACT on the 07/11/2005.

Variable Speed Control Moment Gyroscopes

Advanced attitude actuators could offer an agility option to future generation satellites. But their coupling with the spacecraft flexible modes (inducing vibrations) could be a critical showstopper.....

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