Topology control of dynamic networks in the presence of local and global constraints

Formation flying (FF) is a critical element in NASA's future deep-space missions. Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF), NASA's first space-based mission to directly observe planets outside our own solar system, will rely on FF to achieve the functionality and benefits of a large instrument using multiple lower cost smaller spacecraft. Many key network design problems for such FF missions can be formulated as optimization problems with local and global constraints. We develop a topology control algorithm that can be used for many network problems in the presence of local constraints, such as collision avoidance, and global constraints, such as network connectivity. The presence of contradictory objectives in topology control problems motivated a game-theoretic approach. We demonstrated that a game-theoretic technique could provide a framework for design and analysis of many topology control problems in dynamic networks. In particular, the problem of motion planning for formation reconfiguration in the presence of constraints on network connectivity and inter-spacecraft collisions is studied.