Cislunar Space Situational Awareness Constellation Design and Planning with Facility Location Problem
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Abstract
Driven by the surmounting interest for dedicated infrastructure in cislunar space, this work considers the satellite constellation design for cislunar space situational awareness (CSSA). We propose a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP)-based formulation that simultaneously tackles the constellation design and sensor-tasking subproblems surrounding CSSA. Our approach generates constellation designs that provide coverage with considerations for the field of view of observers. We propose a time-expanded ๐-median problem (TE-p-MP) that considers the optimal placement of ๐ space-based observers into discretized locations based on orbital slots along libration point orbits, simultaneously with observer pointing directions across discretized time. We further develop a Lagrangian method for the TE-๐-MP, where a relaxed problem with an analytical solution is derived, and customized heuristics leveraging the orbital structure of candidate observer locations are devised. The performance of the proposed formulation is demonstrated with several case studies for CSSA constellations monitoring the cislunar Cone of Shame and a periodic time-varying transit window for low-energy transfers located in the Earthโmoon L2 neck region. The proposed problem formulation, along with the Lagrangian method, is demonstrated to enable a fast assessment of near-optimal CSSA constellations, equipping decision-makers with a critical technique for exploring the design trade space.
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2025
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