Analytical Multi-Impulse Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre Optimization

With conjunction events expected to increase in frequency, the autonomous onboard computation of fuel-efficient Collision Avoidance Manoeuvres (CAMs) is crucial to reduce operational burden and enhance mission efficiency. This work investigates analytical CAM strategies that enable a spacecraft to mitigate a conjunction and return to its nominal orbit while minimizing propellant consumption and maintaining high computational efficiency. The analysis first considers single-impulse manoeuvres, neglecting return policies and incorporating possible thrust direction constraints. The study then extends to a three-impulses analytical formulation in a point-to-point framework, allowing reinsertion onto the original orbit after mitigation. The proposed methods are validated over a large benchmark dataset of conjunction events to assess their computational performance, accuracy, and optimality with respect to the selected safety metrics.