Multi - Criteria Optimization for Space Mission Design : a New Approach

This paper presents a method to automate the spacecraft design through a multi-criteria optimization process based on the fuzzy logic theory. The spacecraft design is an iterative, definitely complex process, which requires a lot of resources in terms of designers’ expertise and of expended time. A code is here implemented, which automatically define a preliminary spacecraft configuration in terms of aboard subsystem set with respect to the optimization of the mass, the requested power, the cost and the availability of the whole system. In order to simulate the human behavior in solving conflicts rising from clashing situations, the fuzzy logic theory has been applied in the substitutive function computation. Uncertainty of the input parameters-implicit at the starting point of a sizing processis translated into mathematical formulation through the interval algebra rules. In order to validate the proposed method already flown or flying missions have been assumed as a reference, comparing the on-board subsystem set selected by the experts’ team with the simulation. The results are really encouraging as the method detects almost identical combinations, drastically reducing the time dedicated to the preliminary spacecraft design. From a theoretic point of view the simulation results of the proposed method have been compared with a classic Pareto-optimal point detection to further validate them.