6-Degree-of-Freedom Multi-Fidelity Closed-Loop Trajectory Tool

Recent innovations and the transition to digital engineering has led to ever-growing modeling and simulation environments. These environments provide invaluable benefits, but they typically require immense amounts of data. One crucial task that must wait far into the design of a vehicle is control system design. Overall mission design and high-level vehicle closure can be done with a 3-degree-of-freedom (3DoF) simulation, but validating control authority to meet the attitude requirements necessitates a 6DoF simulation. To allow for data-driven control architecture trade studies for a more confident design, SpaceWorks proposes a novel tool that can operate at varying levels of fidelity across the vehicle design process. For control architecture design, this tool can read the aerodynamic data of the neutral outer mold line (OML) and calculate the required forces and moments for mission closure and closed-loop control. Engineers can use these requirements to size their control system and validate that design with higher-fidelity aerodynamic data that includes the moment contributions from the deflected control surfaces. With this tool, control architecture trades and 6DoF simulations of different vehicle configurations become significantly cheaper, allowing for the design team to more easily find the optimal solution. In this Phase I effort, SpaceWorks will develop a proof-of-concept executable showing the control architecture sizing and validation use cases. SpaceWorks will leverage work from previous efforts to streamline the development effort, allowing for an emphasis on the implementation of closed-loop control algorithms with applications for a multitude of aerospace vehicles.