A Physical–Economic Coupling Modeling and Weighted Bi-Objective Optimization Framework for Large-Scale Transportation Systems

Abstract

This paper constructs a physical-economic coupling model integrating space elevators with traditional rockets for multi-billion-ton Earth-Moon material transport missions. Within a unified framework, it delineates the intrinsic relationships among transport capacity, time cycles, and economic costs. Based on dynamic analysis and energy consumption calculations, a dual-objective planning model targeting total project duration and total cost is established by incorporating unit cost functions and annual transport capacity constraints. A time-cost Pareto frontier is constructed using a weighted summation method. The model achieves multi-year optimized resource allocation through capacity constraints and cumulative demand conditions. It also designs a dynamic allocation mechanism prioritizing full elevator utilization with flexible rocket compensation, enabling synergy between low-cost baseline transport capacity and high-mobility acceleration capabilities. Results demonstrate that this method systematically reveals economies of scale and marginal cost differences across transport architectures, forming a continuously adjustable time-cost tradeoff range. This provides a universally applicable optimization framework and theoretical foundation for comprehensive decision-making in large-scale deep-space engineering.