Project description

Agile satellite operations are defined by satellites being able to utilize its full control capabilities. But the operations are constrained by more than just the control capabilities: this includes, but is in no means limited to, solar energy harvested, energy storage capacity, data link capacity and availability, and sensor-related constraints such as the required pointing accuracy to get a decent image. Even cloud cover and space weather can impact the operations of a satellite. Owing to this complexity, a significant number of submodels is required to describe this system so that agile satellite operations can be executed. The focus on the student in this task would be to find suitable models that capture the complexities of the satellite system and investigate how the models can be made suitable for optimization. This includes looking into different types of optimization approaches, for example heuristic, randomized optimization, and mixed-integer optimization.

Impact of this project

Space technology plays a critical role in achieving 40% to 50% of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The NTNU SmallSat Lab's HYPSO satellites, launched in 2022 and with a successor planned, utilize hyperspectral imagers to capture detailed information beyond the visible. This data allows us to detect and monitor water bodies like oceans, fjords, and lakes, including vital yet potentially harmful algae. The HYPSO satellites also contribute to climate change studies by imaging the Arctic region. Data from the HYPSO satellites play a role in achieving Climate Action, Preserving Life Below Water, and ensure access to Clean Water and Sanitation. The work in this project can make an impact beyond improving the gathering of HYPSO data as the objective is to enable more agile operations, a type of operations which can be beneficial to a range of satellites, in particular small to medium satellites.

Tasks in this project

• Conduct a comprehensive literature review on satellite operations.
• Model the problem and implement the model in a suitable environment.
• Develop and investigate new methods suited for this problem .
• Implement and show how the new methods compare to the state-of-the-art /comparable methods.

Who we are looking for
We are seeking a highly motivated final year student in Cybernetics and Robotics with interest for control. Experience from subjects such as TTK4190 (Guidance, Navigation and Control of Vehicles) will be beneficial for the student in this project. The project will be adapted to the student's goals and background. 

How we work
The student will be part of the NTNU SmallSat lab, a lab which typically hosts 10-20 master's student per semester.

Supervisors:

Tor Arne Johansen (main supervisor, NTNU), Bjørn Andreas Kristiansen (NTNU).

For more information about the project or to show your interest, contact Bjørn Andreas Kristiansen at bjorn.a.kristiansen@ntnu.no.