Rapid On-Demand Launch Mission Planning for Timely Delivery of Spacecraft Constellations

On-demand launch from an airborne launch vehicle can provide a nanosatellite overhead in under an hour anywhere in the world. On-demand launch can support capabilities already on-orbit and provide tailored or new capabilities rapidly. A military rapid on-demand launch fulfills operational requirements for on-demand space support and reconstitution. Current capabilities in tracking and denial of space-assets limits the effectiveness of constellations already on-orbit to be operationally responsive in military space. Time-sensitive returns using scheduling algorithms for the timely deployment of a nanosatellite constellation can be achieved. Four case studies show the capability to provide persistent coverage of a moving target to provide terminal guidance to a net-enabled weapon, provide reconstitution of a PNT constellation, view persistence, and on-demand coverage of natural phenomena for disaster response. The three novel contributions of this work are creation of a mission planning system to deliver a constellation on-demand to observe a target from anywhere in the world using tactical airborne aircraft, combining existing vehicle models for aircraft, launch vehicle, satellite, and optimization tools to modify on-demand launch scheduling of a constellation for optimal coverage, and applying previously existing coverage quality measurements to measure replenishment and reconstitution value added by on-demand launch. A mission planning system for delivery of multiple satellites from multiple similar air-launched platforms for constellation installation over any selected point constrained for reaction time with optimized coverage quality is delivered.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Alabama Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2021

Author dc:creator

• Simpson, Christopher Ross

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Branam, Richard D.
• O'Neill, Charles R.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ames, Brendan Pw
• Carr, John
• Gogineni, Siva Prasad
• Olcmen, Semih M
• Su, Weihua

• constellation design
• launch schedule
• optimization
• rapid launch
• satellite coverage

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US, English

Dc Identifier Other

http://purl.lib.ua.edu/181489
u0015_0000001_0003928
Simpson_alatus_0004D_14620

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ir.ua.edu:123456789/8160