Related papers: Chance-Constrained, Drift-Safe Guidance for Spacec…
This note aims at providing a concise and self-contained document that describes a clear and easy-to-understand method, that could be useful for a reader that is approaching the linear-impulsive rendezvous topic for the first time, but that…
This paper introduces a first-order method for solving optimal powered descent guidance (PDG) problems, that directly handles the nonconvex constraints associated with the maximum and minimum thrust bounds with varying mass and the pointing…
Reliable real-time trajectory generation is essential for future autonomous spacecraft. While recent progress in nonconvex guidance and control is paving the way for onboard autonomous trajectory optimization, these methods still rely on…
Spacecraft equipped with multiple propulsion modes or systems can offer enhanced performance and mission flexibility compared with traditional configurations. Despite these benefits, the trajectory optimization of spacecraft utilizing such…
Spacecraft operations are influenced by uncertainties such as dynamics modeling, navigation, and maneuver execution errors. Although mission design has traditionally incorporated heuristic safety margins to mitigate the effect of…
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…
Observability of the target, safety, and robustness are often recognized as critical factors in ensuring successful far-range proximity operations. The application of angles-only (AO) navigation for proximity operations is often met with…
This study presents a fast nonlinear programming algorithm for low-thrust multi-asteroid rendezvous missions. The core contribution is the derivation of analytical formulations for both first- and second-order gradients of low-thrust…
We present an algorithm to perform fuel-optimal stationkeeping for spacecraft in unstable halo orbits with additional constraints to ensure safety in the event of a control failure. We formulate a convex trajectory-optimization problem to…
This paper presents a novel method for reformulating non-differentiable collision avoidance constraints into smooth nonlinear constraints using strong duality of convex optimization. We focus on a controlled object whose goal is to avoid…
This paper presents a numerical optimization algorithm for generating approach and landing trajectories for a six-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) aircraft. We improve on the existing research on aircraft landing trajectory generation by…
This paper introduces a new algorithm for trajectory optimization, Decoupled Reduced-space and Adaptive Feasibility-repair Trajectory Optimization (DRAFTO). It first constructs a constrained objective that accounts for smoothness, safety,…
A new approach is presented for the problem of optimal impulsive rendezvous of a spacecraft in an inertial frame near a circular orbit in a Newtonian gravitational field. The total characteristic velocity to be minimized is replaced by a…
This paper presents a continuous optimization approach to DCOC and its application to spacecraft high-precision attitude control. The approach computes a control input sequence that maximizes the time-before-exit by solving a nonlinear…
Fixed-wind unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are essential for low cost aerial surveillance and mapping applications in remote regions. One of the main limitations of UAVs is limited fuel capacity and hence requires periodic refueling to…
This article is an engineering note, and formal abstract is omitted in accordance with the requirements of the journal. The main idea of this note is as follows. In endoatmospheric landing of reusable rockets, there exist various kinds of…
This research addresses the increasing demand for advanced navigation systems capable of operating within confined surroundings. A significant challenge in this field is developing an efficient planning framework that can generalize across…
Missions to rendezvous with or capture an asteroid present significant interest both from a geophysical and safety point of view. They are key to the understanding of our solar system are as well stepping stones for interplanetary human…
Reliable and efficient trajectory optimization methods are a fundamental need for autonomous dynamical systems, effectively enabling applications including rocket landing, hypersonic reentry, spacecraft rendezvous, and docking. Within such…
Reliable and efficient trajectory generation methods are a fundamental need for autonomous dynamical systems of tomorrow. The goal of this article is to provide a comprehensive tutorial of three major convex optimization-based trajectory…