Heliocentric Constellation Design for Space Weather Monitoring using Resonant Orbits

Extreme space weather events can disrupt critical space- and ground-based infrastructure with limited warning from existing monitoring spacecraft near the Sun-Earth L1 libration point. Solar wind observations taken sunward of L1 can dramatically increase the warning time for incoming space weather events. Heliocentric constellations leveraging resonant orbits can provide continuous observations of the solar wind without requiring active control to remain near the Sun-Earth line. This study examines a range of heliocentric orbits suitable for space weather monitoring and develops methods and metrics for assembling performant multi-spacecraft observatories.