Astrodynamics Vol. 1, No. 1, 1–2, 2017

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42064-017-0001-x

Message from the Editors-in-Chief Bong Wie1 , Baoyin Hexi2 , and Yang Gao3 1. Department of Aerospace Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA 2. School of Aerospace Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China 3. Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China

© 2017 Tsinghua University Press Dear authors and readers, On behalf of the editorial board, we are honoured to announce the launch of a new journal, Astrodynamics, and thrilled to share our vision for its future. Astrodynamics is a peer-reviewed international journal that is co-published by Tsinghua University Press and Springer.

The high-quality, peer-reviewed articles of original

research, comprehensive review, mission accomplishments, and technical comments in all fields of astrodynamics will be given priorities for publication. In addition, related research in astronomy and astrophysics that takes advantages of the analytical and computational methods of astrodynamics is also welcome. Sharing a common start with the classical astronomy, astrodynamics is rooted in the findings of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo, and its fundamental principle was first formulated by Newton and enriched by Gauss, Lagrange, Poincar´e, and others. In the 1900s, Tsiolkovsky developed the rocket equation, clearly capturing the essentials of spaceflight and envisioning the era of human spaceflight. After the first satellite was launched into space in 1957, the knowledge of flight mechanics of artificial satellites has been enhanced substantially, eventually leading to the emergence of the term of astrodynamics. Traditionally, astrodynamics focuses on orbital dynamics of space vehicles or satellites considering gravitations of natural bodies and internal or external forces and torques. With rapid development of space technology and demanding space missions, the research on astrodynamics is inevitably combined with multiple disciplines, such as control theory, information science, computing technology, and so on.

As a result, the research scope of

astrodynamics has been extended significantly to cover guidance, navigation, control, optimization, mission design, attitude control, space robotics, etc. It is no doubt that astrodynamics has become one of the most vital and most advanced interdisciplinary subjects in today’s aerospace science and technology. The first issue of Astrodynamics consists of 6 papers covering a wide spectrum of novel ideas concerning asteroid exploration and trajectory optimization. As the Editors-in-Chief, we would like to invite all of the astrodynamics specialists to submit their research articles to this new journal. Currently, the scope of the journal includes but is not limited to:

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B. Wie, [email protected]; B. Hexi, [email protected]; Y. Gao, [email protected]

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B. Wie, B. Hexi, Y. Gao

• Fundamental orbital dynamics • Spacecraft trajectory optimization and space mission design • Orbit determination and prediction, autonomous orbital navigation • Spacecraft attitude determination, control, and dynamics • Guidance and control of spacecraft and space robots • Spacecraft constellation design and formation flying • Modelling, analysis, and optimization of innovative space systems • Novel concepts for space engineering and interdisciplinary applications The effort of our editorial board will be ensuring our journal to publish novel researches that advance our field, and will provide authors with a productive, fair, and timely review experience. It is our sincere hope that all researchers in the field of astrodynamics will eagerly access this journal, Astrodynamics, as either authors or readers, making it an illustrious journal that will shape our future space explorations and discoveries. Sincerely,

Bong Wie Baoyin Hexi Yang Gao