Optimal guidance for space applications

Abstract

The first part of this study was focused on describe the state-of-art in optimization techniques for general space operations, and especially in landing operations. Numerous optimisation tools have been developed in the past years and may be profitably re-used in the frame of space operations. To take advantage of these developments, available software has to be compared, in terms of methods, performances and user-friendliness. Among the studied optimisation software, DIDO was selected for the second part of the study. In order to assess the performances of this Optimal Control Solver, tests have been performed on the asteroid landing scenario. Simulation results using the calculated optimal control profiles have shown the importance of the interpolation methods and the temporal resolution of the problem.Validerat; 20101217 (root