Acta AstronauticaPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-11-23DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.11.061
Young-Joo Song , SeungBum Hong , Jun Bang , Jonghee Bae , Moon-Jin Jeon , Soyoung Chung , Shane Fuller , Timothy Stuit
{"title":"KPLO's conjunction mitigation in lunar orbit: Operational results and strategic insights from international collaboration","authors":"Young-Joo Song , SeungBum Hong , Jun Bang , Jonghee Bae , Moon-Jin Jeon , Soyoung Chung , Shane Fuller , Timothy Stuit","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.11.061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.11.061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), also known as Danuri, has been successfully operating in lunar orbit for over two years. During this period, KPLO itself executed four Collision Avoidance Maneuvers (CAMs) to mitigate conjunction risks with other spacecraft in lunar orbit. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of KPLO's CAM operations, from risk assessment to execution, emphasizing the critical role of international collaboration in ensuring lunar orbital safety. The conjunction risk analysis leveraged state-of-the-art tools, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Multi-Mission Automated Deep-space Conjunction Assessment Process (MADCAP) and Conjunction Assessment of Risk in Deep Space (CARDS), to identify potential collision threats. Decision-making processes were conducted in coordination with international stakeholders, ensuring timely and effective CAM execution. The operational results of the four CAMs done by KPLO are thoroughly discussed, highlighting the detailed timeline of work process, challenges faced, and efforts made during each event. Furthermore, this study outlines key lessons learned from KPLO's CAM experience, offering practical recommendations to address the growing risks of orbital collisions in the increasingly crowded lunar environment. The findings emphasize the necessity of international collaboration and standardized protocols for sustainable future missions to or at the Moon.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"241 ","pages":"Pages 637-653"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145575255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta AstronauticaPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.052
Paweł Urbanski, Piotr Szyszka
{"title":"MEMS X-ray source enables ultra-compact XRF spectrometry for in situ extraterrestrial surface analysis","authors":"Paweł Urbanski, Piotr Szyszka","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.052","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.052","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Compact, low-power X-ray sources are critical for enabling XRF capabilities within the strict mass, volume and power budgets of small planetary landers and rovers. This work evaluates the performance of a MEMS-based X-ray source that integrates a field emission electron emitter, a transmission target, and an on-chip vacuum micro-pump, providing intense soft X-ray radiation suitable for the excitation of low-Z elements. The source was tested in laboratory conditions through the XRF analysis of four lunar regolith simulants (LHS-1D, LHS-1, LMS-1D and LSP-2). The elemental compositions retrieved from the spectra closely match the reference values supplied by the manufacturer, confirming the suitability of the MEMS device for the characterization of lunar surface materials. Owing to its reduced mass, volume and power consumption, the MEMS source offers substantial advantages over conventional X-ray tubes, particularly for resource-limited missions and applications related to in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). The increased efficiency in exciting low-energy fluorescence lines further enhances its applicability to regolith studies. The results demonstrate that MEMS X-ray sources constitute a promising technological alternative for future planetary science missions, supporting both scientific investigations and on-site resource monitoring.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"241 ","pages":"Pages 192-198"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145893837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"UV degradation of poly(ether imide) film under vacuum condition and its examination by chemical analyses","authors":"Shogo Yamane , Kazuki Yukumatsu , Yuki Horiuchi , Hideaki Hagihara , Yugo Kimoto , Junji Mizukado","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polymers are widely used in space as thermally controlled materials. Among them, polyetherimide (PEI) stands out and is a promising candidate as a thermally controllable material because of its high durability and transparency. However, the degradation mechanism under ultraviolet (UV) light in the space environment is not completely known. In this study, we monitored the degradation of PEI under UV light irradiation in a vacuum atmosphere to simulate the space environment. Chemical analyses were performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), surface attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR) measurement, and cross-sectional ATR-IR measurement. The relationship between the solar absorptance with increasing irradiation dose and chemical degradation was also a subject of study. XPS measurements revealed that structural changes occurred within a few nanometers of the surface in a relatively short time after irradiation. Additionally, there was nearly no change even when the irradiation dose was increased thereafter. Surface ATR-IR measurements demonstrated that a region of several micrometers on the surface gradually underwent structural changes owing to the formation of a crosslinked structure upon UV irradiation, and cross-sectional ATR-IR measurements indicated that were more closely correlated with the value of solar absorptance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"241 ","pages":"Pages 484-490"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta AstronauticaPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-27DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.048
Jie Yang, Zhengtao Wei, Caoqun Luo, Ti Chen, Dongping Jin
{"title":"Dynamics co-design for robust deployment and retrieval of tethered satellite systems","authors":"Jie Yang, Zhengtao Wei, Caoqun Luo, Ti Chen, Dongping Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.048","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.048","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tethered satellite systems exhibit significant challenges during the trajectory planning of deployment and retrieval tasks because of their nonlinearity and under-actuation. This paper investigates the optimal planning of deployment and retrieval trajectories and the optimal design for some system parameters simultaneously considering external disturbances and the system’s nonlinear behaviors. Based on the dumbbell model of the tethered satellite system, a dynamics co-design framework is proposed to optimize trajectory and system parameters in deployment and retrieval tasks. To improve the robustness of the designed trajectory and parameters, two disturbance-rejection performance indices are included in the cost function of the optimal problem for the dynamics co-design task. The Legendre–Gauss–Radau pseudospectral method is employed to transform the continuous dynamics co-design problem into a large-scale nonlinear programming problem. To further improve efficiency, an <em>hp</em>-adaptive strategy is employed to refine the discretization mesh. Finally, the effectiveness of the dynamics co-design framework and the robust performance are validated by numerical simulations and ground experiments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"241 ","pages":"Pages 207-223"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145845188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta AstronauticaPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.050
Takahiro Ukai , Shin Hotta , Andrew Wilson , Bradley Craig , Craig White , Konstantinos Kontis , Yuki Takarada
{"title":"A flow control technique for the manipulation of plume structures in plume-surface interaction","authors":"Takahiro Ukai , Shin Hotta , Andrew Wilson , Bradley Craig , Craig White , Konstantinos Kontis , Yuki Takarada","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.050","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.050","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We propose an active flow control technique using fluidic injectors to manipulate plume structures in plume surface interaction (PSI) phenomena during soft landing on planetary surfaces. While fluidic injectors are mainly proposed for noise reduction in aircraft engines, this study focuses on their application under planetary environments to modulate plumes extended by high nozzle pressure ratios. To investigate the performance of this proposed jet-jet interaction technique, which transverse supersonic jets penetrate a main hypersonic jet, we conduct both numerical simulations and experiments using four Mach 2.5 injector nozzles arranged around a Mach 5.8 main nozzle, under Martian ambient surface pressure. The jet-jet interaction reduces a Mach number of an impinging main jet on a perpendicular plate and expands its jet radius. These effects depend on the mass flow rate ratio between the main jet and the injector. Due to the reduced shock cell length, the highest mass flow rate ratio significantly decreases the stagnation pressure at the jet impingement centreline on the plate by approximately 90 % compared to the case without jet-jet interaction, whereas a pressure rise occurs in the radial direction due to jet expansion. These pressure changes may still alter regolith erosion. Furthermore, a wall shear stress associated with erosion dynamics is reduced by the jet-jet interaction. Although we successfully demonstrate the effectiveness of the jet-jet interaction using fluidic injectors for plume modulation under Martian ambient pressure, further investigations of the jet impingement on a soil bed are required to clarify the effects of this technique on erosion dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"241 ","pages":"Pages 114-133"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145845197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta AstronauticaPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.009
Zhan Wen , Yanfeng Jiang , Huisi Wang , Weichen Qu , Jiawei Yan , Peijin Liu , Wen Ao
{"title":"Investigation of aluminum ignition dynamics with lower initial particle temperature","authors":"Zhan Wen , Yanfeng Jiang , Huisi Wang , Weichen Qu , Jiawei Yan , Peijin Liu , Wen Ao","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work utilized a technique known as single-particle laser ignition, paired with high-speed photography, spectrum to explore the ignition and combustion properties under −60 °C. The results indicate that while a decrease in temperature does not significantly alter the overall combustion processes—comprising melting expansion, rupture of the oxide film, stable combustion, and eventual extinction—it does diminish the intensity of the reactions occurring during ignition. When the temperature decreases, the ignition delay time for particles of the same size tends to increase, directly correlating with particle size. For instance, at −60 °C compared to 20 °C, Al particles with a diameter of 1000 μm show a notable rise in ignition delay time from 674 ms to 1098 ms, indicating a 62.9 % increase. In contrast, smaller Al particles are less sensitive to temperature changes. For 500 μm Al particles, the time it takes for ignition to occur increases from 163 ms to 218 ms as the temperature changes within the same range, resulting in a smaller percentage increase of 33.7 %. To better understand the ignition process, a model was created that accounts for the effects of both particle size and temperature on ignition behaviour. In the early stages of ignition, the main source of heat is convective heat transfer, which plays a crucial role in initiating the ignition process. Once the Al particles have melted completely, surface chemical reactions become a significant source of heat. This model accurately describes the influence of the initial temperature on the ignition process and energy transfer, showing an average deviation of 7.03 % between predicted ignition delay times for different temperatures and particle sizes compared to experimental data. Overall, this study enhances our understanding of the ignition and combustion processes of Al particles across a range of temperatures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"241 ","pages":"Pages 430-437"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta AstronauticaPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-31DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.061
ShangBiao Sun , JianGuo Yan , WuTong Gao , Chongyang Wang , Zohaib Afzal , Zhen Wang , Jean-Pierre Barriot
{"title":"Gravity field estimation of Callisto using tracking data for the upcoming Tianwen-4 mission","authors":"ShangBiao Sun , JianGuo Yan , WuTong Gao , Chongyang Wang , Zohaib Afzal , Zhen Wang , Jean-Pierre Barriot","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Callisto’s internal structure remains poorly constrained due to the limited resolution of existing gravity field models derived from Galileo flybys. Unlike ESA’s JUICE and NASA’s Europa Clipper missions, China’s upcoming Tianwen-4 mission will orbit Callisto, providing a unique opportunity to determine its high-degree gravity field and tidal Love number. Using in-house precision orbit determination software and simulated radio tracking data, this study investigates the capability of the China Deep Space Network (CDSN) to estimate Callisto’s gravity field under various observation geometries and tracking configurations. The results show that reducing Doppler noise from 0.1 to 0.01 mm/s improves precision by an order of magnitude. At altitudes of 200 km and 400 km, coefficients can be resolved up to degrees 80 and 50, respectively. Increasing orbital eccentricity from 0 to 0.1 degrades estimation accuracy. Combining range and VLBI observables improves the accuracy of low-degree gravity coefficients by about 1.4 and 1.5 times, respectively. Combining all CDSN stations further improves the estimation accuracy across all degrees. Extending tracking duration from 6 to 12 months improves estimated accuracy and spatial resolution. The best and worst gravity field estimations provide a quantitative basis for comparing orbital prediction accuracy and Callisto’s gravity anomaly uncertainties. The lowest accuracy in the <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>k</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> estimation occurs at an orbital altitude of 400 km, with a 1-<span><math><mi>σ</mi></math></span> uncertainty of 0.033, which remains sufficient to detect the potential presence of a subsurface ocean. These results demonstrate the strong potential of CDSN-supported Tianwen-4 mission to achieve high-precision gravity estimation and internal structure characterization of Callisto.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"241 ","pages":"Pages 181-191"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta AstronauticaPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.044
Shengjun Zeng, Wei Fan, Hui Ren
{"title":"Active spinning control for a flexible photonic electric solar wind sail spacecraft","authors":"Shengjun Zeng, Wei Fan, Hui Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.044","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.044","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Motivated by a hybrid motivation mechanism, the photonic electric solar wind sail (E-sail) spacecraft is regarded as an innovative propellant-free propulsion concept for interstellar missions. Under typical operating conditions, the solar wind dynamic pressure (SWDP) interacts with the charged main tether to generate the primary thrust, while the solar radiation pressure (SRP) acts on the photonic film at the end of each main tether to generate attitude adjustment torque. Compared with the classical E-sail spacecraft, the photonic E-sail spacecraft enables active spinning control by regulating the inclination of the extra photonic films, while an effective spinning control strategy for the rigid–flexible coupled model remains underexplored. Based on the full-scale dynamical model derived by the referenced nodal coordinate formulation (RNCF) approach, this work investigates an active spinning control strategy for the photonic E-sail spacecraft. The reflectance control device (RCD) is integrated into the structural design of the photonic film, which enables active optical parameters modulation to regulate the solar radiation pressure (SRP) induced thrust. A practical spin rate feedback control strategy for the photonic E-sail spacecraft is proposed, where the reflectance distribution across its partitions drives the photonic film inclination, thereby indirectly manipulating the overall spin rate. By numerical simulations with different configurations, the dynamical characteristics of the varying optical parameters on the full-scale photonic E-sail spacecraft model are analyzed. Plus, the effectiveness of the proposed active spinning manipulation mechanisms is validated. Furthermore, the collaborative simulation on the spinning control module and the orientation control module demonstrates the feasibility of the simultaneous manipulation of the spin rate and the sail plane rotation parameters. The proposed spinning control strategy provides an accurate and efficient approach for comprehensive attitude control for the spinning spacecrafts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"241 ","pages":"Pages 409-429"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta AstronauticaPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.059
Hang Wu , Xi Zeng , Hui Liu , Hong Liu , Beizhen Xie
{"title":"Microbial purification of perchlorate in a simulated Martian water to ensure its plant cultivation for Martian BLSS","authors":"Hang Wu , Xi Zeng , Hui Liu , Hong Liu , Beizhen Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.059","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.12.059","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In-situ utilization of Martian water resources is imperative for sustained long-term exploration missions. To address perchlorate contamination that hinders its use in Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS), this study developed a simulated Martian water (SMW) formula (validated composition, containing 500 mg/L ClO<sub>4</sub><sup>−</sup> and characteristic ions) and evaluated its microbial purification and subsequent plant cultivation potential. The results showed that screened strains <em>Dechloromonas agitata</em> and <em>Brucella intermedia</em> exhibited ClO<sub>4</sub><sup>−</sup> removal capabilities in the SMW. Under optimized conditions of inoculum amount (OD<sub>600</sub> = 0.2), pH 7.5, and extra nutrients (CH<sub>3</sub>COONa 1.8 g/L, NH<sub>4</sub>Cl 0.25 g/L, NaH<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub> 0.6 g/L), <em>Dechloromonas agitata</em> achieved complete degradation of 500 mg/L ClO<sub>4</sub><sup>−</sup> within 10 days, while <em>Brucella intermedia</em> accomplished full degradation in 5-fold diluted SMW within 15 days. Cultivation of ClO<sub>4</sub><sup>−</sup>-sensitive plants (wheat, lettuce) using the purified SMW resulted in 95 % seed germination and significantly enhanced morphological indices (leaf length, plant height) and physiological parameters (photosynthetic pigment content, net photosynthetic rate) compared to the untreated control. Critically, no ClO<sub>4</sub><sup>−</sup> residue was detected in plant tissues cultivated with the purified SMW. These results demonstrate that the developed technology effectively produces water meeting BLSS cultivation requirements, thereby offering a viable pathway for in-situ Martian water utilization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"241 ","pages":"Pages 224-233"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta AstronauticaPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.021
Zhihua Liang , Wudong Deng , Yunfeng Dong
{"title":"A logical dimensional reinforcement learning approach for component-level collaborative planning in cluster satellites","authors":"Zhihua Liang , Wudong Deng , Yunfeng Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cluster satellites' component-level collaborative observation enables on-demand stitching of the observation chain. By responding directly to dynamic targets and environmental changes, this capability represents a key trend in meeting future complex observation requirements. Mission planning is critical to realizing this collaboration. Existing methods typically employ subsystem-level models and reinforcement learning algorithms to plan missions under deterministic operational flows. However, realizing on-demand stitching requires mission planning to address the challenge of nested space sparsity optimization while accurately reflecting component-level characteristics. To address this, this paper utilizes multi-granularity digital twin models to achieve component-level on-demand modeling. We introduce the logical dimension from systems engineering to decouple nested space sparsity. Following the self-similar logical steps of synthesis, analysis, and assessment, the optimization problem is transformed into a set of high-cohesion, low-coupling sub-problems, thereby guiding the reinforcement learning process. By switching computational models based on the specific requirements of logical dimensional reinforcement learning, we established the multi-granularity digital twin logical dimensional reinforcement learning method to realize on-demand stitching of the observation chain. To validate this capability, this paper designed typical cluster satellite observation scenarios corrected by real telemetry parameters. Using the number of confirmed unknown moving targets as a performance indicator, we tested the ability of our method and deterministic planning methods to respond to complex demands under dynamic environmental conditions. Furthermore, sparsity and feature analyses were conducted to verify the rationality of the proposed approach in optimizing nested space sparsity. The results demonstrate that the proposed method successfully achieves on-demand stitching of the observation chain for cluster satellites. This approach provides an effective pathway for adapting to future complex observation requirements and serves as an exemplar for applying systems engineering to guide machine learning in solving complex problems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"241 ","pages":"Pages 575-593"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145978439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}