The agile earth observation satellite scheduling problem (AEOSSP), as a time-dependent and arduous combinatorial optimization problem, has been intensively studied in the past decades. Many studies have proposed non-iterative heuristic construction algorithms and iterative meta-heuristic algorithms to solve this problem. However, the heuristic construction algorithms spend a relatively shorter time at the expense of solution quality, while the iterative meta-heuristic algorithms accomplish a high-quality solution with a lot of time. To overcome the shortcomings of these approaches and efficiently utilize the historical scheduling information and task characteristics, this paper introduces a new neural network model based on the deep reinforcement learning and heuristic algorithm (DRL-HA) to the AEOSSP and proposes an innovative non-iterative heuristic algorithm. The DRL-HA is composed of a heuristic construction neural network (HCNN) model and a task arrangement algorithm (TAA), where the HCNN aims to generate the task planning sequence and the TAA generates the final feasible scheduling order of tasks. In this study, the DRL-HA is examined with other heuristic algorithms by a series of experiments. The results demonstrate that the DRL-HA outperforms competitors and HCNN possesses outstanding generalization ability for different scenario sizes and task distributions. Furthermore, HCNN, when used for generating initial solutions of meta-heuristic algorithms, can achieve improved profits and accelerate interactions. Therefore, the DRL-HA algorithm is verified to be an effective method for solving AEOSSP. In this way, the high-profit and high-timeliness of agile satellite scheduling can be guaranteed, and the solution of AEOSSP is further explored and improved.

Satellite establishes a satellite ground station to satellite link with a ground station to complete data transmission. However, in China, satellite ground stations only exist within the country. With the rapid increase in the number of satellites, effectively dispatching satellite communications and maximizing the performance of ground stations are necessary. We propose a heuristic adaptive large neighborhood search algorithm (H-ALNS) to solve the satellite data transmission scheduling (SDTS) problem. The algorithm includes two heuristic rules for generating the initial scheme and the conflict reduction process after updating the neighborhood. A heuristic task assignment method is used to select the execution time window and position for the task sequence. The adaptive operator is used to update the delete operator and insert operator weights into the H-ALNS. The quality of the generated planning scheme improved through continuous neighborhood destruction and repair. Through experimental analysis, the algorithm we propose is feasible for solving SDTS problems and surpasses the planning results acquired using other comparison algorithms. The H-ALNS has good prospects for practical engineering applications.