Space Trajectory Optimization

The optimization of interplanetary trajectories continues to receive a great deal of interest. In interplanetary missions, it is usually desired to send a spacecraft to rendezvous with a planet, or an astroid. The interplanetary trajectory design problem can be addressed either in a two-body or a three-body dynamics framework. The motivation of this study is to develop an optimization algorithm that can compute the number of swing-bys and the planets to swingby, along with the rest of the classical Multi Gravity Assist with Deep Space Maneuvers design variables, in an attempt to automate the design process. The results of implementing this version of the hidden genes genetic algorithms to multiple case studies are presented in this chapter.