# Generating Low-Earth Orbit Satellite Attitude Maneuver Profiles Using Deep Neural Networks
## 1 Introduction  
In recent decades, low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites have been developed and launched for various purposes. LEO satellites use attitude maneuvers to perform Earth observations [1; 2]. Attitude maneuvers can be classified into two types: performance during the mission (maintenance of a target-pointing attitude) and maneuvering between missions (maneuvering between target-pointing attitudes). The pointing stability of the line of sight for Earth observations is the critical mission performance factor, and the attitude control performance of the satellite, pointing knowledge, and rate drift are also important factors [3; 4]. The attitude profile of the target-pointing segment of the mission is determined by the user's observation requirements. Typically, the target-pointing attitude is designed to have low angular rates to minimize drift during observations [2; 5]. Observation mission requirements, such as the imaging area and location, are used as input conditions to generate the attitude profile of the target-pointing segment. The attitude profile of the target-pointing duration generated in this way has a deterministic solution depending on the observation target. Therefore, deviations in the performance of the attitude profile of the target-pointing segment of the mission are generally insignificant. In contrast, the attitude maneuver profile between target pointings has various initial and final attitude conditions and must be executed within certain constraints, such as the allowable range of angular rates and maneuver time requirements [6; 7]. Therefore, depending on the cost function and generation logic, significant variations in the maneuver time and attitude error at the starting point of the target pointings can occur. Generally,the maneuvering between target pointings is a critical indicator of a satellite's mission performance capability and requires optimization [7; 8]. However, without an initial guess, the optimization process can be time-consuming. Because the demand for high-agility satellites that maximize the observation time is increasing, many satellites that minimize the maneuver time between the target pointings and attitude error at the initiation of the mission are being developed [9; 10; 11]. Additionally, as demand for satellite imagery for urgent missions (e.g., disaster response) increases, the need to maximize mission performance through rapid maneuvers also increases [12]. Therefore, a satellite's agile performance is crucial to all commercial, military, and government-led satellite developments because it indicates the satellite's ability to quickly change its attitude to meet specific mission requirements [12; 13]. To achieve a high level of satellite agility, it is necessary to consider factors such as actuators capable of producing high torque, which minimize the moment of inertia (MOI) of the satellite, and the sending of reference attitude commands for maneuvering between targets [6; 7]. Actuators, such as high-torque reaction wheels and control moment gyros, are the hardware that needs to be considered in the early stages of satellite development. They exhibit characteristics with limiting factors, such as reliability, cost, and schedule. The weight and size of the payload tend to increase as the observation performance increases, which limits the potential for the reduction of the MOI through optimization. In addition, a control system that combines feedforward and feedback control methods (rather than a single feedback controller) needs to be designed to achieve the shortest maneuvering time [14; 15]. In this control system, the command for the satellite's attitude maneuver is provided as feedforward, whereas any disturbance to the maneuvering is controlled as feedback [7]. Finally, to minimize disturbances, the reference attitude command for the maneuver between target pointings should be developed to minimize the attitude error (quaternion and angular rate) at the start of the mission under the constraint of the satellite's maneuvering limits [12].