Optimizing low-thrust and gravity assist maneuvers to design interplanetary trajectories
Optimization and Control
2011-05-11 v1 Systems and Control
Abstract
In this paper a direct method based on a transcription by finite elements in time has been used to design optimal interplanetary trajectories, exploiting a combination of gravity assist maneuvers and low-thrust propulsion. A multiphase parametric approach has been used to introduce swing-bys, treated as coast phases between two thrusted or coasting trajectory arcs. Gravity maneuvers are at first modeled with a linked-conic approximation and then introduced through a full three-dimensional propagation including perturbations by the Sun. The method is successfully applied to the design of a mission to planet Mercury, for which different options corresponding to different sequences of gravity maneuvers or launch opportunities are presented.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1105.1829,
title = {Optimizing low-thrust and gravity assist maneuvers to design interplanetary trajectories},
author = {Massimiliano Vasile and Franco Bernelli-Zazzera},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1105.1829},
year = {2011}
}