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SN Computer Science

Quantum Optimization for Closed-Loop Scheduling of Earth Observation Satellite Formation

Vinicius Marchioli, Mattia Boggio, Deborah Volpe, Luca Massotti, Carlo Novara

Published Aug 12, 2025• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract The scheduling complexity of Agile Earth Observation Satellites (AEOSs) increases significantly as Earth Observation missions progress. This makes traditional optimization techniques less effective, restricting their application to small-scale and open-loop scheduling problems. In this paper, we investigate the potential of quantum solvers to address the closed-loop scheduling problem for a formation of AEOSs, overcoming the limitations of classical optimization techniques. To this end, we formulate the scheduling problem as a novel Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problem, i.e., a formulation specifically designed for quantum solvers. Moreover, penalty functions are introduced to minimize mission energy consumption and reduce deviations between the original and rescheduled solutions. The formulated QUBO problem is implemented on a D-Wave quantum annealer for a daily and large-scale scheduling scenario. The obtained results demonstrate significant improvements in computational efficiency and solution quality compared to traditional methods like Simulated Annealing and Tabu Search, highlighting the potential of quantum solvers in optimizing complex scheduling tasks for AEOS formations.

DOI
10.1007/s42979-025-04252-2

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Abstract The scheduling complexity of Agile Earth Observation Satellites (AEOSs) increases significantly as Earth Observation missions progress. This makes traditional optimization techniques less effective, restricting their application to small-scale and open-loop scheduling problems. In this paper, we investigate the potential of quantum solvers to address the closed-loop scheduling problem for a formation of AEOSs, overcoming the limitations of classical optimization techniques. To this end, we formulate the scheduling problem as a novel Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problem, i.e., a formulation specifically designed for quantum solvers. Moreover, penalty functions are introduced to minimize mission energy consumption and reduce deviations between the original and rescheduled solutions. The formulated QUBO problem is implemented on a D-Wave quantum annealer for a daily and large-scale scheduling scenario. The obtained results demonstrate significant improvements in computational efficiency and solution quality compared to traditional methods like Simulated Annealing and Tabu Search, highlighting the potential of quantum solvers in optimizing complex scheduling tasks for AEOS formations.
We present a comparison study of state-of-the-art classical optimization methods to a D-Wave 2000Q quantum annealer for the scheduling of agile Earth observation satellites. The problem is to acquire high-value images while obeying the attitude maneuvering constraint of the satellite. In order to investigate close to real-world problems, we created benchmark problems by simulating realistic scenarios. Our results show that a tuned quantum annealing approach can run faster when used to find the optimal solution than a classical exact solver for some of the problem instances. Moreover, we find that the solution quality of the quantum annealer is comparable to the heuristic method used operationally for small problem instances, but degrades rapidly due to the limited precision of the quantum annealer.
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The increasing number of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, driven by lower manufacturing and launch costs, is proving invaluable for Earth observation missions and low-latency internet connectivity. However, as the number of satellites increases, the number of communication links to maintain also rises, making the management of this vast network increasingly challenging and highlighting the need for clustering satellites into efficient groups as a promising solution. This paper formulates the clustering of LEO satellites as a coalition structure generation (CSG) problem and leverages quantum annealing to solve it. We represent the satellite network as a graph and obtain the optimal partitions using a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm called GCS-Q. The algorithm follows a top-down approach by iteratively splitting the graph at each step using a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) formulation. To evaluate our approach, we utilize real-world three-line element set (TLE/3LE) data for Starlink satellites from Celestrak. Our experiments, conducted using the D-Wave Advantage annealer and the state-of-the-art solver Gurobi, demonstrate that the quantum annealer significantly outperforms classical methods in terms of runtime while maintaining the solution quality. The performance achieved with quantum annealers surpasses the capabilities of classical computers, highlighting the transformative potential of quantum computing in optimizing the management of large-scale satellite networks.
Quantum computers relying on cold atoms are being built and promise a high flexibility in the way information in encoded into the physical system. In particular, the analog mode is spiking interest in the field of optimization as a classically intractable number of configurations can be tackled. In this work, we investigate a problem that requires every-day scheduling of critical tasks involving a large number of actors. Namely, fixing the planning for a Earth Observation satellite fleet composed of several of units exposed to a high density of targets to be scanned. We explore numerical schemes that convert the formulated problem into a cold-atoms friendly setup. We begin by a naive formulation of the Satellite Mission Planning problem without taking account for the agility of the satellites. We then extend the problem to take it into account based on the literature. By formulating the planning problem as a Maximum Independent Set problem, we are able to solve the problem with a QPU based on Rydberg atoms. We explore two ways of solving the MIS problem on the QPU, one relying on the graphs and on the Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization Framework (QUBO). We show that the QUBO methodology is the most relevant and explore it more deeply with numerical experiments. We conclude on the potential utility of using a QPU to solve the Satellite Mission Planning problem in an operational context.
Abstract The rapid accumulation of space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) poses a significant challenge to the sustainability of space operations. While preventive measures limit new debris generation, they are insufficient to mitigate the growing population of defunct satellites, rocket stages, and collision fragments. Active Debris Removal (ADR) has emerged as a viable solution, which requires solving NP-hard combinatorial optimization problemsimilar to the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) to maximize mission efficiency by minimizing fuel and mission duration. This work explores the application of Quantum Annealing (QA) and Hybrid Quantum Annealing (HQA) for optimizing multi-target ADR missions. Specifically, it introduces a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) model for ADR, exploiting quantum computing to enhance solution efficiency. A novel quadratization method is developed to reduce computational complexity, enabling large-scale mission planning. Additionally, a novel constraint-handling strategy is proposed, integrating mission constraints into post-processing to enhance quantum solver efficiency. The proposed approach is validated using real-world satellite debris datasets and benchmarked against classical metaheuristic optimizers, including Simulated Annealing (SA), Tabu Search (TS), and Genetic Algorithms (GA). The obtained results demonstrate the advantages of quantum optimization for ADR mission planning, providing a scalable and computationally efficient solution.
Earth observation satellites (EOS) play a crucial role in collecting data for applications like weather forecasting and disaster management. Optimizing EOS missions to capture high-priority targets within constraints such as storage, energy, and weather is challenging for traditional computing methods. Quantum computing shows promise in enhancing efficiency by exploring vast solution spaces for optimal schedules, even with complex constraints. This paper demonstrates the potential of a quantum algorithm to improve real-time EOS mission planning, maximizing high-priority target acquisition under resource limitations. Compared to classical algorithms like simulated annealing and Gurobi optimizer, the proposed quantum algorithm outperformed in selecting high-priority targets by 23.46%, executed faster than Gurobi by 39.09%, and successfully satisfied all constraints for all data.