Optimization-based scheduling for the single-satellite, multi-ground station communication problem

In this paper, we develop models and algorithms for solving the single-satellite, multi-ground station communication scheduling problem, with the objective of maximizing the total amount of data downloaded from space. With the growing number of small satellites gathering large quantities of data in space and seeking to download this data to a capacity-constrained ground station network, effective scheduling is critical to mission success. Our goal in this research is to develop tools that yield high-quality schedules in a timely fashion while accurately modeling on-board satellite energy and data dynamics as well as realistic constraints of the space environment and ground network. We formulate an under-constrained mixed integer program (MIP) to model the problem. We then introduce an iterative algorithm that progressively tightens the constraints of this model to obtain a feasible and thus optimal solution. Computational experiments are conducted on diverse real-world data sets to demonstrate tractability and solution quality. Additional experiments on a broad test bed of contrived problem instances are used to test the boundaries of tractability for applying this approach to other problem domains. Our computational results suggest that our approach is viable for real-world instances, as well as providing a strong foundation for more complex problems with multiple satellites and stochastic conditions.