Orbital Mechanics and Optimal Control for Space Missions
A special issue of Astronautics (ISSN 3042-7576).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 229
Editor
Interests: astrodynamics; trajectory optimization; spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control; optimal control theory; mission analysis; autonomous space systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The design and operation of space missions demand a robust integration of orbital mechanics and optimal control theory to achieve mission objectives with minimal resource expenditure. This Special Issue aims to bring together original research and review articles addressing the latest advances in trajectory optimization, spacecraft guidance and control, mission analysis, and the mathematical frameworks that underpin them. Topics of interest include low-thrust trajectory design, orbit determination and maneuver planning, rendezvous and proximity operations, attitude control, multi-body dynamics, and applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning to autonomous space mission planning. Contributions exploring both classical analytical methods and emerging computational approaches are welcome. This Special Issue invites submissions spanning fundamental theory through to practical implementation, with applications ranging from Earth-orbiting satellites to deep-space and interplanetary missions. This collection seeks to foster interdisciplinary collaboration between astrodynamics, control engineering, and applied mathematics communities, ultimately advancing the state of the art in the design of efficient, robust, and autonomous space missions.
You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Aerospace.
Dr. M. Amin Alandihallaj
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Astronautics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- astrodynamics
- trajectory optimization
- spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control
- orbital maneuvers
- low-thrust propulsion
- optimal control theory
- multi-body dynamics
- rendezvous and proximity operations
- mission analysis
- autonomous space systems
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