GTOC8: Results and Methods of POLIMI-UPM

In this work the solution to the 8th Global Trajectory Optimisation Competition proposed from the PoliMi-UPM team is presented. With the aim of maximizing the objective function, a two-stage strategy has been devised. First, two spacecraft target selenoflybys to significantly modify their orbital parameters, in particular increasing the semi-major axis. Later, the formation is steered with lowthrust propulsion to point radio sources within the assigned tolerance. The latter is achieved by means of a geometrical method that minimises the orbital parameters variation, and that provides boundary condition for an indirect method solution of the Two-point Boundary Value Problem. No constraints on the number of seen radio sources have been applied. On a higher level, a genetic algorithm is used to identify the optimal flyby parameters.