LEOS---Optimal Satellite Launch Policies: The Static Case

Bezalel Gavish and Joakim Kalvenes
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Bezalel Gavish: Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203
Joakim Kalvenes: School of Management, The University of Texas at Dallas, P.O. Box 830688, JO44, Richardson, Texas 75083-0688

Management Science, 1997, vol. 43, issue 8, 1164-1176

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: LEOS; telecommunications; satellite launching; dynamic programming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1997
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:43:y:1997:i:8:p:1164-1176

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