Plyades: A Python Library for Space Mission Design

TL;DR

Plyades is a Python library that simplifies space mission design by providing a user-friendly, powerful tool for numerical simulations and optimizations, addressing limitations of older software in Fortran and MATLAB.

Contribution

The paper introduces Plyades, a new Python library that offers an accessible and efficient alternative for space mission design and simulation tasks.

Findings

Plyades demonstrates comparable performance to traditional tools.

The library enhances usability and flexibility in mission design workflows.

Initial tests show successful integration with existing astrodynamics processes.

Abstract

Plyades: A Python Library for Space Mission Design Designing a space mission is a computation-heavy task. Software tools that conduct the necessary numerical simulations and optimizations are therefore indispensable. The usability of existing software, written in Fortran and MATLAB, suffers because of high complexity, low levels of abstraction and out-dated programming practices. We propose Python as a viable alternative for astrodynamics tools and demonstrate the proof-of-concept library Plyades which combines powerful features with Pythonic ease of use.