Project: Cislunar Swarming Technologies

Cislunar orbits are gaining increasing significance, motivating future mission concepts involving rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking within this domain. However, the underlying dynamics of non-Keplerian orbits in the cislunar environment, which manifest as periodic solutions within multi-body gravitational systems (such as Halo orbits), pose substantial challenges to the direct application of technologies developed for relative motion in perturbed two-body (Keplerian) dynamics, such as those based on Relative Orbital Elements (ROEs). 

To address these challenges, SLAB has been actively developing novel GNC architectures aimed at achieving high-precision control and navigation within these inherently chaotic and nonlinear dynamical systems. The objective is to establish a simple yet robust framework for guidance, navigation, and control, encompassing safe reconfiguration, integrated absolute and relative station-keeping, and the application of reachable set theory for enhanced autonomy and resilience.

Related Publications 

Takubo, Y., Manuel, W., Foss, E., D'Amico, S.; 
Safe and Optimal N-Spacecraft Swarm Reconfiguration in Non-Keplerian Cislunar Orbits;
Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics (accepted).

Hunter, M., Manuel, W., D'Amico, S.;
Optimal Impulsive Control of Cislunar Relative Motion Using Reachable Set Theory; 
2025 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, AAS 25-664, Boston, Massachusetts, August 2025. 

Foss, E., Takubo Y., D'Amico, S.; 
Long-Duration Station-Keeping Strategy for Cislunar Spacecraft Formations; 
2025 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, AAS 25-831, Boston, Massachusetts, August 2025.

Takubo, Y., Manuel, W., D'Amico, S.;
Passively-Safe Optimal Cislunar Relative Motion using Local Toroidal Coordinates:
2025 AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, Kaua'i, HI, January 2025.