LEOS – optimal satellite launch policies: The static case

Low earth orbit satellite (LEOS) systems promise to provide global communication. A LEOS system consists of a large number of satellites in low orbits. A satellite has a limited life of approximately five to eight years. Therefore, frequent satellite replenishments are required, and the LEOS systems will be facing annual replenishment costs in the range of several hundred million dollars. This paper considers static satellite launch policies for LEOS systems. The satellite launch problem is formulated and a solution method based on dynamic programming is proposed. Lexicographic ordering is used to reduce the search space of the dynamic program to a moderate size. An algorithm for calculating optimal static policies is used to demonstrate the potentially significant economic impact of satellite launch policies on system maintenance costs.