Related papers: Why do launch trajectories end downwards
This paper aims to address the nonlinear optimal guidance problem with impact-time and impact-angle constraints, which is fundamentally important for multiple pursuers to collaboratively achieve a target. Addressing such a guidance problem…
Preliminary spacecraft trajectory optimization is a parameter dependent global search problem that aims to provide a set of solutions that are of high quality and diverse. In the case of numerical solution, it is dependent on the original…
With the increased urgency to design fusion pilot plants, fast optimization of electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) launchers is paramount. Traditionally, this is done by coarsely sampling the 4-D parameter space of possible launch…
A method is presented to solve a stochastic, nonlinear optimal control problem representative of spacecraft trajectory design under uncertainty. The problem is reformulated as a chance constrained nonlinear program, or what is known as a…
We consider a controlled reaction-diffusion equation, motivated by a pest eradication problem. Our goal is to derive a simpler model, describing the controlled evolution of a contaminated set. In this direction, the first part of the paper…
We describe a successive convex programming (Sequential Convex Programming (SCP)) based approach for estimate the set of points where a 5-degree of freedom (5-DoF) reusable launch vehicle (RLV) returning to a landing site can transition…
We propose a reachability approach for infinite and finite horizon multi-objective optimization problems for low-thrust spacecraft trajectory design. The main advantage of the proposed method is that the Pareto front can be efficiently…
In this paper, we present a framework for solving continuous optimal control problems when the true system dynamics are approximated through an imperfect model. We derive a control strategy by applying Pontryagin's Minimum Principle to the…
Within the standard framework of quasi-steady flight, this paper derives a speed that realizes the maximal obtainable range per unit of fuel. If this speed is chosen at each instant of a flight plan $h(x)$ giving altitude $h$ as a function…
The problem of autonomous launch and landing of a tethered rigid aircraft for airborne wind energy generation is addressed. The system operates with ground-based power conversion and pumping cycles, where the tether is repeatedly reeled in…
In this paper, problems of optimal control are considered where in the objective function, in addition to the control cost there is a tracking term that measures the distance to a desired stationary state. The tracking term is given by some…
In Cislunar space, spacecraft are able to exploit naturally periodic orbits, which provide operational reliability. However, these periodic orbits only exist in a limited volume. Enabled by low-thrust propulsion, spacecraft can produce a…
Future interplanetary missions will carry more and more sensitive equipment critical for setting up bases for crewed missions. The ability to manoeuvre around hazardous terrain thus becomes a critical mission aspect. However, large diverts…
This paper introduces an algorithm to perform optimal reorientation of a spacecraft during a high speed flyby mission that maximizes the time a certain target is kept within the field of view of scientific instruments. The method directly…
We study the tracking of a trajectory for a nonholonomic system by recasting the problem as a constrained optimal control problem. The cost function is chosen to minimize the error in positions and velocities between the trajectory of a…
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…
The problem of minimizing the transfer time between periodic orbits in the Earth-Moon elliptic restricted three-body problem using a multi-mode propulsion system is considered. By employing the true anomaly on the primary orbit as the…
In this paper we provide an optimal control based strategy to explore feasible trajectories of nonlinear systems, that is to find curves that satisfy the dynamics as well as point-wise state-input constraints. The strategy is interesting…
Understanding the complex patterns in space-time exhibited by active systems has been the subject of much interest in recent times. Complementing this forward problem is the inverse problem of controlling active matter. Here we use optimal…
For the classical N-body problem, an approach is proposed based on the introduction of some natural in the physical sense optimization problems of mathematical programming for finding a conditional minimum for the characteristics of the…