Related papers: Neighboring Optimal Guidance for Low-Thrust Multi-…
While the Pontryagin Maximum Principle can be used to calculate candidate extremals for optimal orbital transfer problems, these candidates cannot be guaranteed to be at least locally optimal unless sufficient optimality conditions are…
The optimization of low-thrust, multi-revolution orbit transfer trajectories is often regarded as a difficult problem in modern astrodynamics. In this paper, a flexible and computationally efficient approach is presented for the…
A numerical optimization study of minimum-fuel Earth-based orbital transfers from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to either medium-Earth orbit (MEO), high-Earth orbit (HEO), or geostationary orbit (GEO), is performed. Various values of maximum…
Gateway will represent a primary logistic infrastructure in cislunar space. The identification of efficient orbit transfers capable of connecting Earth, Moon, and Gateway paves the way for enabling refurbishment, servicing, and utilization…
This study introduces an approach to obtain a neighboring extremal optimal control (NEOC) solution for a closed-loop optimal control problem, applicable to a wide array of nonlinear systems and not necessarily quadratic performance indices.…
One of the fundamental problems in spacecraft trajectory design is finding the optimal transfer trajectory that minimizes the propellant consumption and transfer time simultaneously. We formulate this as a multi-objective optimal control…
The design of transfers to periodic orbits in the Earth-Moon system has regained prominence with NASA's Artemis and CNSA's Chang'e programs. This work addresses the problem of linking ballistic capture trajectories - exploiting multi-body…
The minimum-fuel low-thrust transfer between circular orbits is formulated using the Edelbaum's averaged dynamics with the addition of the nodal precession due to the first zonal term. The extremal analysis shows that an optimal transfer is…
Optimization of low-thrust trajectories that involve a larger number of orbit revolutions is considered a challenging problem. This paper describes a high-precision symplectic method and optimization techniques to solve the minimum-energy…
Homotopy methods have been widely utilized to solve low-thrust orbital transfer problems, however, it is not guaranteed that the optimal solution can be obtained by the existing homotopy methods. In this paper, a new homotopy method is…
A computational approach is developed for the design of continuous low thrust transfers in the planar circular restricted three-body problem. The transfer design method of invariant manifolds is extended with the addition of continuous low…
This work focuses on minimum-time low-thrust orbit transfers from a prescribed low Earth orbit to a specified low lunar orbit. The well-established indirect formulation of minimum-time orbit transfers is extended to a multibody dynamical…
The minimum-fuel orbital transfer is analyzed in the case of a launcher upper stage using a constantly thrusting engine. The thrust level is assumed to be constant and its value is optimized together with the thrust direction. A closed-loop…
The problem of minimum-time, low-thrust, Earth-to-Mars interplanetary orbital trajectory optimization is considered. The minimum-time orbital transfer problem is modeled as a four-phase optimal control problem where the four phases…
Trajectory optimization of low-thrust perturbed orbit rendezvous is a crucial technology for space missions in low Earth orbits, which is difficult to solve due to its initial value sensitivity, especially when the transfer trajectory has…
This paper presents a simple approach to low-thrust optimal-fuel and optimal-time transfer problems between two elliptic orbits using the Cartesian coordinates system. In this case, an orbit is described by its specific angular momentum and…
A deep-space exploration mission with low-thrust propulsion to rendezvous with multiple asteroids is investigated. Indirect methods, based on the optimal control theory, are implemented to optimize the fuel consumption. The application of…
Low-thrust orbital transfers are difficult to optimize by indirect methods. The main issues come from the costate guess and from the numerical propagation accuracy required by the shooting method. In the case of a coplanar minimum-time…
Low-thrust trajectory design relies heavily on repeated evaluations of fuel consumption and transfer feasibility, which require expensive optimal control solutions. In this work, we show these quantities can be accurately approximated by…
The optimal cooperative guidance in the nonlinear setting for intercepting a target by multiple pursuers is studied in the paper. As certain relative angles can improve observability, the guidance command is required to cooperatively…