Heuristic Methods of Agile Satellites Coordination and Scheduling

This book delves into the complex and evolving field of agile Earth observation satellite technology and its scheduling challenges. With the capability for large-angle maneuvering, stereo and continuous area imaging, these satellites significantly expand observational capabilities. However, the rapid enhancement of these satellites, paired with increasing observational demands, has made agile satellite scheduling an NP-hard problem. Research into collaborative scheduling for agile satellites has thus become crucial.

Heuristic Methods of Agile Satellites Coordination and Scheduling presents a systematic overview of the authors' research findings, with a focus on the application of heuristic optimization methods. The book consists of six chapters covering basic theory, technical challenges, and solutions for agile satellite scheduling; particularly focusing on time-dependent scheduling, multi-satellite coordination, scheduling considering time-varying cloud cover and emergency task response.

The book broadens horizons and provides practical guidance for graduate students, researchers, and professionals in management science and engineering, and remote sensing applications.

Dr Lei He is an associate professor and master's supervisor at the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), China. He obtained his PhD in Management Science and Engineering from NUDT in 2019 and a joint PhD at Delft University of Technology 2017–2019. He specializes in research on Earth observation satellite scheduling and has led one National Natural Science Foundation project, while participating as a core member in over 20 national and provincial-level projects. He has published more than 30 academic papers, two monographs and one textbook, and has applied for and been granted over 20 national invention patents. He has received awards such as the PLA Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award, a Second-Class Prize in Natural Science from Hunan Province, and two Second-Class Prizes for Scientific and Technological Progress from the Chinese Institute of Command and Control. He has been selected for the Youth Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by the China Association for Science and Technology and the High-Level Talent Cultivation Plan by NUDT.

Dr Xiaolu Liu is an associate professor and master's supervisor at the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), China. She received her BE degree in system engineering and PhD degree in management science and engineering from NUDT in 2006 and 2011, respectively. She specializes in intelligent task planning and scheduling, system optimization, and decision-making. As a project/technical leader, she has undertaken over 20 projects, including those under the High-resolution Earth Observation System (GF) major program, the Second Generation Navigation System major program, equipment pre-research, and the National Natural Science Foundation. Her research outcomes have won awards including a Second-Class Prize in Natural Science from Hunan Province, a Second-Class Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from the Ministry of Education, and a First-Class Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from Hunan Province. She has published two monographs, one textbook, and over 50 academic papers, and holds 15 authorized patents. She has been selected for the PLA Innovation Talent Project.

Prof. Dr Yingwu Chen is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), China. He is a standing council member of the Systems Engineering Society of China, and an expert in the military science and technology award expert database. He has long been engaged in research on satellite intelligent task planning and complex system decision analysis. He is a supervisor for the National Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation and was named an outstanding teacher in the PLA in 2009. He has received one first-class prize for scientific and technological progress by PLA, five provincial-level second-class prizes for scientific and technological progress and has published seven textbooks and monographs. He has authored over 80 academic research papers.

Prof. Dr Lining Xing is a professor and doctoral supervisor at Jiangsu University of Technology. His major research directions include intelligent optimization, resource scheduling and task planning, etc. He established the Intelligent Simulation Optimization and Scheduling Committee of the China Simulation Society and served as its chairman. He has published more than 100 academic papers, seven of which were selected into the top 1% and 10% of ESI cited papers. Prof. Dr. Lining Xing's relevant achievements include 8 provincial and ministerial awards, notably the First Prize of Science and Technology Award of China Simulation Society and the First Prize of Hunan Province Science and Technology Progress Award.

Dr Yingguo Chen is an associate professor and master's supervisor at the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), China. He has been selected for the High-Level Talent Cultivation Plan by NUDT and a first prize winner of the Youth Innovation Award at NUDT. He specializes in complex system optimization decision-making, large-scale resource planning and scheduling. He has led more than 10 national scientific research projects, been granted over 20 national invention patents, and published more than 30 academic papers. He has received two provincial-level Science and Technology Progress First Prizes, one Natural Science Second Prize, and one Ministry of Education Science and Technology Progress Second Prize. He has also authored 4 monographs and 1 textbook.