Optimal reconfiguration with collision avoidance for a granular spacecraft using laser pressure

Granular spacecraft, as a new type of distributed spacecraft system, “are complex multibody systems composed of a spatially disordered distribution of a large number of elements” (Quadrelli et al., 2013), designed and controlled to perform certain desired functions. To achieve the collision-free reconfiguration of granular spacecraft, an optimal reconfiguration algorithm with collision avoidance for a granular spacecraft using laser pressure is presented in this paper. The three-dimensional model of granular spacecraft using laser pressure is established first, and the reconfiguration problem statement is presented. The optimal reconfiguration plan is designed based on optimal transport, and the collision-free trajectories for all the particles are generated based on Voronoi partitioning, with the motion constraints under the control of laser pressure. Finally, the numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed reconfiguration algorithm and the feasibility of using laser actuators for the reconfiguration of a granular spacecraft.