On-Line Trajectory Generation for Aerospace Vehicles

Austral Engineering & Software, Inc. (AES) intends to develop and demonstrate a novel methodology for online generation, reshaping and/or retargeting of robust trajectories for aerospace vehicles. The approach involves an innovative formulation of a trajectory feasibility problem that not only considers traditional trajectory constraints but also includes nonlinear constraints on attitude control that incorporate online identification of current vehicle performance characteristics. Due to its nature, the solution to this optimization problem yields a trajectory that is guaranteed to be feasible, with possibly retargeted terminal conditions, even under situations where vehicle performance is degraded due to damage and/or control effector failure. This trajectory generation methodology is intended as the foundation of a comprehensive trajectory management system (TMS) that can be deployed on future aerospace vehicles. Phase II will extend the algorithms to a more general class of trajectory management problems and higher levels of fidelity. Computational efficiency issues associated with the demands of on-board implementation will be addressed. Extensive work geared toward commercialization of the technology will be carried out under Phase II as well. Phase II will culminate with a working prototype of the trajectory management system that will be demonstrated via high-fidelity simulation.