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Integrated constellation design and deployment method for a regional augmented navigation satellite system using piggyback launches

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A Correction to this article was published on 11 February 2022

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Abstract

The method proposed in this paper is adopted to solve problem B of the 9th China Trajectory Optimization Competition (CTOC). An accurate and economical constellation design strategy for regional augmented navigation satellite systems (RANSSs) has attracted a substantial amount of research interest owing to the increased demand for navigation services in complex environments. This paper proposes a hybrid method of constellation design and deployment for a RANSS to satisfy the navigation performance requirements and minimize the construction cost. First, the search spaces of the design parameters are determined by analyzing the orbital parameters of piggyback launches. Second, the constellation is designed as a combined Walker constellation and optimized by a differential evolution (DE) algorithm. Finally, optimal strategies for deploying satellites to the desired orbits are obtained using a transfer optimization design. The method was adopted to design a RANSS for servicing the 182 cities in the Asia-Pacific region. The configuration consists of five orbital planes and 80 navigation satellites and achieves a low construction cost with 10 piggyback launches. Furthermore, the constellation can cooperate with an existing navigation satellite system to further improve the navigation accuracy for all cities. The results reveal that the RANSS design and deployment problem can be effectively solved with a low construction cost and high navigation performance.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11572345) and the Science Project of the National University of Defense Technology (Nos. ZK17-03-21 and ZK18-03-07).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Aerospace and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China

    Shuai Guo & Jin Zhang

  2. China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, 100094, China

    Wanmeng Zhou

  3. Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications Technology, Beijing, 100094, China

    Fuyu Sun & Dateng Yu

Authors
  1. Shuai Guo
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  2. Wanmeng Zhou
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  3. Jin Zhang
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  4. Fuyu Sun
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  5. Dateng Yu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jin Zhang.

Additional information

Shuai Guo received his M.S. degree in aerospace engineering from the National University of Defense Technology, China, in 2016. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. degree in aerospace engineering at the National University of Defense Technology. His research focuses on space operation, mission planning, and simulation. E-mail: guoshuai14@nudt.edu.cn.

Wanmeng Zhou received his B.S. degree from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2013, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from the National University of Defense Technology, China, in 2015 and 2019, respectively. Since December 2019, he has been a researcher at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center. His current research interests include manned space engineering, spacecraft orbit design and control, and aerospace simulation. E-mail: zhouwanmeng13@nudt.edu.cn.

Jin Zhang received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from the National University of Defense Technology, China, in 2006, 2008, and 2013, respectively. Since December 2016, he has been an associate professor at the National University of Defense Technology, China. His research focuses on space mission planning and spacecraft trajectory optimization. Email: zhangjin@nudt.edu.cn.

Fuyu Sun received his Ph.D. degree from the College of Aerospace Science and Engineering at the National University of Defense Technology, China, in 2018. His current research focuses on aerospace orbital dynamics and control as well as attack and defense system simulation. E-mail: sunfuyu89@126.com.

Dateng Yu received his B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from the Harbin Institute of Technology, China in 2011 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from the National University of Defense Technology, China, in 2013 and 2017, respectively. His current research interests include spacecraft dynamics and control and space safety. E-mail: ydt236500@126.com.

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Guo, S., Zhou, W., Zhang, J. et al. Integrated constellation design and deployment method for a regional augmented navigation satellite system using piggyback launches. Astrodyn 5, 49–60 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42064-020-0091-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42064-020-0091-8

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