Hybrid methods for determining time-optimal, constrained spacecraft reorientation maneuvers

Time-optimal spacecraft slewing maneuvers with path constraints are difficult to compute even with direct methods. This paper examines the use of a hybrid, two-stage approach, in which a heuristic method provides a rough estimate of the solution, and that serves as the input to a pseudospectral optimizer. Three heuristic methods are examined for the first stage: particle swarm optimization (PSO), differential evolution (DE), and bacteria foraging optimization (BFO). In this two-stage method, the PSO-pseudospectral combination is approximately three times faster than the pseudospectral method alone, and the BFO-pseudospectral combination is approximately four times faster; however, the DE does not produce an initial estimate that reduces total computation time.