The opportunity to perform on-orbit servicing and refueling of satellites using a refueling tanker has prospectively been previously considered. Although the docking capability for refueling satellites has been demonstrated by industry, effective optimization of a rendezvous sequence between the satellites in need of servicing remains under investigation. This research models the trajectory optimization for a satellite refueling tanker rendezvousing with a series of satellites in geosynchronous-Earth orbit as the traveling salesman problem, and investigates how ant colony optimization paired with the Hill-Clohessy-Wiltshire equations can be used to minimize the total velocity change required to complete orbital transfers between the satellites. The results of this research include a trajectory optimization algorithm for satellite refueling applied in MATLAB, and an analysis of the refueling tanker’s optimized trajectory sequence. This research has found that the described methodology provides an effective means for estimating the total delta-v required to complete the rendezvous trajectory between satellites in need of refueling.
