Expandable Orbit Decay Prediction Using Continual Learning

Very low earth orbit (VLEO) spacecraft have become an attractive proposition with obvious advantages in various missions, including communication and ground observation. Higher requirements for precise orbit decay prediction (PODP) technology are requested, which provides accurate state references f...

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Main Authors: Junhua He, Hua Wang, Haitao Wang, Xuankun Fang, Chengyi Huo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-01-01
Series:International Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/8887634
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author Junhua He
Hua Wang
Haitao Wang
Xuankun Fang
Chengyi Huo
author_facet Junhua He
Hua Wang
Haitao Wang
Xuankun Fang
Chengyi Huo
author_sort Junhua He
collection DOAJ
description Very low earth orbit (VLEO) spacecraft have become an attractive proposition with obvious advantages in various missions, including communication and ground observation. Higher requirements for precise orbit decay prediction (PODP) technology are requested, which provides accurate state references for orbit maintenance and necessary database for space situational awareness. The effectiveness of the traditional orbital prediction method for PODP is limited by inaccurate estimation of the spacecraft’s physical parameters and space environments. Generalization performance of machine learning techniques (MLTs) is blocked by the universal challenge known as catastrophic forgetting, resulting in limited improvement on PODP. In this study, a method of expandable orbit decay propagator (EODP) for spacecraft PODP in VLEO, based on model-agnostic MLTs, is proposed. The plasticity of the proposed model is discussed, which originates from the uncertainty of neural network (NN) parameters. The proposed method overcomes the negative effects of uncertain physical parameters and complex space environments. The model achieves at least a 70% improvement in accuracy compared to the high-precision orbital propagator (HPOP) and presents a novel approach for the future implementation of machine learning–based methods in the field of orbit prediction.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 1687-5974
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Wiley
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series International Journal of Aerospace Engineering
spelling doaj-art-f4371debbb2b4b2180b0733e41afd9592025-02-03T09:56:52ZengWileyInternational Journal of Aerospace Engineering1687-59742024-01-01202410.1155/2024/8887634Expandable Orbit Decay Prediction Using Continual LearningJunhua He0Hua Wang1Haitao Wang2Xuankun Fang3Chengyi Huo4College of Aerospace Science and EngineeringCollege of Aerospace Science and EngineeringCollege of Aerospace Science and EngineeringCollege of Aerospace Science and EngineeringCollege of Aerospace Science and EngineeringVery low earth orbit (VLEO) spacecraft have become an attractive proposition with obvious advantages in various missions, including communication and ground observation. Higher requirements for precise orbit decay prediction (PODP) technology are requested, which provides accurate state references for orbit maintenance and necessary database for space situational awareness. The effectiveness of the traditional orbital prediction method for PODP is limited by inaccurate estimation of the spacecraft’s physical parameters and space environments. Generalization performance of machine learning techniques (MLTs) is blocked by the universal challenge known as catastrophic forgetting, resulting in limited improvement on PODP. In this study, a method of expandable orbit decay propagator (EODP) for spacecraft PODP in VLEO, based on model-agnostic MLTs, is proposed. The plasticity of the proposed model is discussed, which originates from the uncertainty of neural network (NN) parameters. The proposed method overcomes the negative effects of uncertain physical parameters and complex space environments. The model achieves at least a 70% improvement in accuracy compared to the high-precision orbital propagator (HPOP) and presents a novel approach for the future implementation of machine learning–based methods in the field of orbit prediction.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/8887634
spellingShingle Junhua He
Hua Wang
Haitao Wang
Xuankun Fang
Chengyi Huo
Expandable Orbit Decay Prediction Using Continual Learning
International Journal of Aerospace Engineering
title Expandable Orbit Decay Prediction Using Continual Learning
title_full Expandable Orbit Decay Prediction Using Continual Learning
title_fullStr Expandable Orbit Decay Prediction Using Continual Learning
title_full_unstemmed Expandable Orbit Decay Prediction Using Continual Learning
title_short Expandable Orbit Decay Prediction Using Continual Learning
title_sort expandable orbit decay prediction using continual learning
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/8887634
work_keys_str_mv AT junhuahe expandableorbitdecaypredictionusingcontinuallearning
AT huawang expandableorbitdecaypredictionusingcontinuallearning
AT haitaowang expandableorbitdecaypredictionusingcontinuallearning
AT xuankunfang expandableorbitdecaypredictionusingcontinuallearning
AT chengyihuo expandableorbitdecaypredictionusingcontinuallearning