Terminal Trajectory Planning and Optimization for an Unpowered Reusable Launch Vehicle

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Kluever ◽  
Kenneth Horneman
Keyword(s):  
Trajectory Planning ◽  
Launch Vehicle ◽  
Reusable Launch Vehicle

scholarly journals Rapid trajectory planning of a reusable launch vehicle for airdrop with geographic constraints

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 172988141881797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing Wei ◽  
Xuejing Lan ◽  
Lei Liu ◽  
Yongji Wang
Keyword(s):  
Trajectory Planning ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Launch Vehicle ◽  
Search Problem ◽  
Quasi Equilibrium ◽  
Bank Angle ◽  
Weighted Interpolation ◽  
Reusable Launch Vehicle ◽  
Terminal Constraints ◽  
Planning Algorithm

Online feasible trajectory generation for an airdrop unpowered reusable launch vehicle is addressed in this article. A rapid trajectory planning algorithm is proposed to satisfy not only the multiple path and terminal constraints but also the complex geographic constraints of waypoints and no-fly zones. Firstly, the lower and upper boundaries of the bank angle that implement all the path constraints are obtained based on the quasi-equilibrium glide condition. To determine the bank angle directly, a weighted interpolation of the boundaries is then developed, which provides an effective approach to simplify the planning process as a one-parameter search problem. Subsequently, three types of lateral planning algorithms are designed to determine the sign of the bank angle according to the requirements of waypoints passage, no-fly-zones avoidance, and terminal constraints in the airdrop process, and the convergence of these methods for passing over the waypoints and meeting the terminal conditions has been clarified and formally demonstrated. Considering the constraints in the actual airdrop flight missions, the planning trajectory is divided into several subphases to facilitate the application of corresponding algorithms. Finally, the performance of the proposed algorithm is assessed through three airdrop missions of reusable launch vehicle with different geographic constraints. Besides, the effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated by the Monte Carlo simulation results.

scholarly journals Re-entry trajectory planning for a reusable launch vehicle

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Mease ◽  
P. Teufel ◽  
H. Schoenenberger ◽  
D. Chen ◽  
S. Bharadwaj
Keyword(s):  
Trajectory Planning ◽  
Launch Vehicle ◽  
Reusable Launch Vehicle

scholarly journals Guidance Law Design for Terminal Area Energy Management of Reusable Launch Vehicle by Energy-to-Range Ratio

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Jiang ◽  
Zhaohua Yang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Management ◽  
Trajectory Planning ◽  
Launch Vehicle ◽  
Reference Trajectory ◽  
Tracking Errors ◽  
Guidance Law ◽  
Reusable Launch Vehicle ◽  
Planning Algorithm ◽  
Flight Profile ◽  
Terminal Area

A new guidance scheme that utilizes a trajectory planning algorithm by energy-to-range ratio has been developed under the circumstance of surplus energy for the terminal area energy management phase of a reusable launch vehicle. The trajectory planning scheme estimates the reference flight profile by piecing together several flight phases that are defined by a set of geometric parameters. Guidance commands are readily available once the best reference trajectory is determined. The trajectory planning algorithm based on energy-to-range ratio is able to quickly generate new reference profiles for testing cases with large variations in initial vehicle condition and energy. The designed flight track has only one turn heading, which simplifies the trajectory planning algorithm. The effectiveness of the trajectory planning algorithm is demonstrated by simulations, which shows that the guided vehicle is able to successfully dissipate energy and reach the desired approach and landing glideslope target with small tracking errors.

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