TALOS: A toolbox for spacecraft conceptual design

Abstract: We present the Toolbox for Analysis and Large-scale Optimization of Spacecraft (TALOS), a framework designed for applying large-scale multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) to spacecraft design problems. The framework is built using the Computational System Design Language (CSDL), with abstractions for users to describe systems at a high level. CSDL is a compiled, embedded domain-specific language that fully automates derivative computation using the adjoint method. CSDL provides a unified interface for defining MDO problems, separating model definition from low-level program implementation details. TALOS provides discipline models for spacecraft mission designers to perform analyses, optimizations, and trade studies early in the design process. TALOS also provides interfaces for users to provide high-level system descriptions without the need to use CSDL directly, which simplifies the exploration of different spacecraft configurations. We describe the interfaces in TALOS available to users and run analyses on selected spacecraft subsystem disciplines to demonstrate the current capabilities of TALOS.