Trajectory Optimization for Spacecraft Close Proximity Based on Dual Quaternions

The problem of trajectory optimization for spacecraft close proximity is addressed in this paper. The proposed algorithm aims to find a fuel-optimal trajectory while subject to line-of-sight constraint, glide slope constraint and control magnitude constraint, etc. Because line-of-sight constraint and glide slope constraint are coupled with the position and attitude motions of the spacecraft, and the dual quaternion can uniformly represent the relative position and attitude between coordinate systems. Therefore, dual quaternions were used to describe the motion of the spacecraft. Secondly, the sequential convex optimization is used to solve the fuel-optimal trajectory established by dual quaternions. Finally, the calculation time and energy consumption of the proposed method are given by numerical simulations.