Intent-aligned Autonomous Spacecraft Guidance via Reasoning Models

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2604.17176v1
• Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:25:54 GMT
• Title: Intent-aligned Autonomous Spacecraft Guidance via Reasoning Models
• Abstract summary: This paper proposes an intent-aligned spacecraft guidance framework that links high-level reasoning and safe trajectory optimization.<n>A foundation model first predicts an intent-aligned behavior plan, a waypoint generation model then converts it into waypoint constraints, and the safe trajectory is computed via optimization.
• Score: 4.254099382808598
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: Future spacecraft operations require autonomy that can interpret high-level mission intent while preserving safety. However, existing trajectory optimization still relies heavily on expert-crafted formulations and does not support intent-conditioned decision-making. This paper proposes an intent-aligned spacecraft guidance framework that links high-level reasoning and safe trajectory optimization through explicit intermediate abstractions, based on behavior sequences and waypoint constraints. A foundation model first predicts an intent-aligned behavior plan, a waypoint generation model then converts it into waypoint constraints, and the safe trajectory is computed via optimization. This decomposition enables scalable supervision without sacrificing safety. Numerical experiments in close-proximity operation scenarios demonstrate that the proposed pipeline achieves over 90\% SCP convergence and yields a $1.5\times$ higher rate of generating trajectories that satisfy the top intent-prioritized performance criteria than heuristic decision-making. These results support the use of intermediate behavior abstraction as a practical interface between foundation-model reasoning and safety-critical onboard spacecraft autonomy.

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