Using genetic algorithms for safe swarm trajectory optimization

1. A swarm control system comprising:

a target space platform;

a swarm of chaser spacecraft, each chaser spacecraft controlled to follow a corresponding computed trajectory; and

at least one computing device that executes a swarm control algorithm, the swarm control algorithm including a nested genetic algorithm, the nested genetic algorithm including multiple guidance genetic algorithms and an outer genetic algorithm, wherein each chaser spacecraft having an associated guidance genetic algorithm that determines a computed trajectory for the chaser spacecraft associated therewith, the outer genetic algorithm configured to check for collisions and to alter one or more computed trajectories to avoid collisions, wherein the swarm control algorithm, when executed, includes steps of:

a) generating an initial population as an input set of position r(t 0 ) and velocity v(t 0 ) pairs where t 0 is a start time;

b) compute trajectories from the input set of position r(t 0 ) and velocity v(t 0 ) pairs;

c) propagate the chaser spacecraft to a final time t r ;

d) calculate a trajectory fitness function using an initial position r(t 0 ), an initial velocity v(t 0 ), a final position r(t r ), an final velocity v(t r );

e) if the trajectory fitness function for a given trajectory is calculated to be above a predetermined threshold, the given trajectory is identified as a potential trajectory;

f) encode set of position r(t 0 ) and velocity v(t 0 ) pairs into pairs of position binary numbers and velocity binary number;

g) select a predetermined number of the pairs of position binary numbers and velocity binary numbers having best values for the trajectory fitness function as parents for a next generation;

h) apply crossover to the parents;

i) apply mutations to the parents;

j) identify results from the crossover and mutation as inputs for a next iteration;

k) binary decode results from the crossover and mutation to form a new set of position r(t 0 ) and velocity v(t 0 ) pairs; and

l) provide the new set of position r(t 0 ) and velocity v(t 0 ) pairs as the input set of position r(t 0 ) and velocity v(t 0 ) pairs in step b).

2. The swarm control system of claim 1 , wherein each chaser spacecraft includes a computing device that executes the swarm control algorithm for that chaser spacecraft.

3. The swarm control system of claim 1 further comprising a control station that includes the at least one computing device.

4. The swarm control system of claim 1 , wherein each guidance genetic algorithm optimizes an associated trajectory fitness function.

5. The swarm control system of claim 1 , wherein the outer genetic algorithm is configured to isolate spacecraft that are involved in a collision and determine how to mitigate the collision.

6. The swarm control system of claim 1 , wherein steps b) to 1) are repeated until the trajectory fitness function achieves a predetermined value or until a predetermined number of iterations are executed.

7. The swarm control system of claim 1 , wherein the outer genetic algorithm is further configured to add one or more chaser spacecraft.

8. The swarm control system of claim 1 , wherein the outer genetic algorithm adds chaser spacecraft by optimizing an insert fitness function that uses existing trajectories as an input.

9. The swarm control system of claim 1 , wherein genetic algorithms are paired with data from onboard sensors on each individual chaser spacecraft.

10. The swarm control system of claim 9 , wherein the onboard sensors are relative motion position sensors to determine range to nearby spacecraft and relative motion speed sensors to determine a speed of nearby spacecraft.

11. The swarm control system of claim 9 , wherein data from the onboard sensors is parsed in real-time by an on-board system on each chaser spacecraft in the swarm of chaser spacecraft, and then fed into a sensor fusion Kalman filter on each individual chaser spacecraft to allow the outer genetic algorithm to maintain a relative motion orbit of the swarm of chaser spacecraft when gravitational perturbations are present.

12. The swarm control system of claim 11 , wherein a combination of the sensor fusion Kalman filter and the guidance genetic algorithms is configured to predict relative positions of the chaser spacecraft for real-time collision detection and avoidance.