A precedence-rule-based heuristic for satellite onboard activity planning. (January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liang, Jun; Zhu, Yue-he; Luo, Ya-zhong; Zhang, Jia-cheng; Zhu, Hai
• Is Part Of: Acta astronautica. Volume 178(2021)
• Page Start: 757
• Page End: 772
• Publication Date: 2021-01
• Subjects: Satellite onboard activity planning -- Heuristic method -- Domain model -- Precedence rule; Astronautics -- Periodicals; Outer space -- Exploration -- Periodicals; Astronautics; Periodicals; 629.405
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.10.020
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0094-5765

Abstract

Abstract: Satellite onboard activity planning refers to the process of arranging a set of onboard activities on a timeline. It is typically formulated as a complex optimization problem with various constraints that is similar to the classic flexible job-shop scheduling problem. This paper first formulates a practical mathematical model considering both the constraints of onboard resources and the sequential logic among the activities. Then an efficient heuristic with a set of knowledge-guided precedence rules for satellite onboard activity planning is proposed, which can achieve real-time planning of the onboard mission. Simulation results indicate that the proposed heuristic can very efficiently produce a satisfied planning scheme, which significantly outperforms the evolutionary algorithm-based optimization method in practical engineering applications. Highlights: An optimization model is established to minimize the completion time of onboard activities. A flexible modeling approach is used in the description of onboard activity domain knowledge. A precedence-rule-based heuristic is developed for satellite onboard activity planning.