(
2021-03)
Chen, Hao; Sarton Du Jonchay, Tristan; Hou, Linyi; Ho, Koki
To build a sustainable space transportation system for human space exploration, the design and deployment of space infrastructure, such as in-situ resource utilization plants, in-orbit propellant depots, and on-orbit servicing platforms, are critical. The design analysis and trade studies for these space infrastructure systems require the consideration of not only the design of the infrastructure elements themselves, but also their supporting systems (e.g., storage, power) and logistics transportation while exploring various architecture options (e.g., location, technology). This paper proposes a system-level space infrastructure and logistics design optimization framework to perform architecture trade studies. A new space-infrastructure logistics optimization problem formulation is proposed that considers the internal interactions of infrastructure subsystems and their external synergistic effects with space logistics simultaneously. Because the full-size version of this proposed problem formulation can be computationally prohibitive, a new multifidelity optimization formulation is developed by varying the granularity of the commodity-type definition over the space logistics network; this multifidelity formulation can find an approximate solution to the full-size problem computationally efficiently with little sacrifice in the solution quality. The proposed problem formulation and method are applied to the design of in situ resource utilization systems in a multimission lunar exploration campaign to demonstrate their values.
(
2020-05)
Chen, Hao; Sarton Du Jonchay, Tristan; Hou, Linyi; Ho, Koki
This paper develops an interdisciplinary space architecture optimization framework to analyze the tradeoff on in-situ resource utilization options, identify technology gaps, evaluate the benefits of in-situ resource utilization, and optimize the design of infrastructure for Mars human space exploration scenarios and mission profiles. It performs trade studies from the perspective of space logistics, which takes into account the interplanetary transportation, infrastructure deployment, in-situ resource utilization system operation, and logistics of the produced resources. Our method considers space architecture design and operation from the subsystem level to capture the coupling between in-situ resource utilization technologies and in-space architecture elements for space resource logistics. A case study involving a multi-mission human Mars exploration campaign is performed to evaluate the effectiveness of existing and proposed in-situ resource utilization technology concepts and system designs. The results can provide us with a better understanding of the benefits and costs of different in-situ resource utilization technologies for interplanetary space transportation. A sensitivity analysis is also conducted to understand the impacts of lunar and near-Earth-object’s in-situ resource utilization systems on Mars missions. The results of this analysis can help decision-makers determine and optimize the roadmap for in-situ resource utilization technology development.