LOWER-BUDGET MISSIONS OFTEN LACK SIGNIFICANT FUNDING FOR TRAJECTORY DESIGN AND GENERATING MANY-REVOLUTION LOW-THRUST TRAJECTORIES PRESENTS A COMPUTATIONALLY EXPENSIVE AND TIME CONSUMING OPTIMAL CONTROL PROBLEM FOR MISSION DESIGNERS TO SOLVE. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO REDUCE THE COMPUTATION TIME AND IMPROVE THE FIDELITY OF SEMI-ANALYTICAL LOW-THRUST TRAJECTORY DESIGN METHODS THROUGH MODIFICATIONS OF THE Q-LAW LOW-THRUST TRAJECTORY DESIGN ALGORITHM. THESE IMPROVEMENTS WILL DRASTICALLY INCREASE THE OPTIMALITY AND APPLICABILITY OF THE Q-LAW ALGORITHM IN THE MISSION DESIGN PROCESS. ADDITIONALLY USING THE IMPROVED Q-LAW METHOD WITHIN EXISTING OPTIMIZATION SOFTWARE WILL DRASTICALLY REDUCE THE COMPUTATION TIME AND IMPROVE THE SOLUTION OPTIMALITY. THE PROPOSED INVESTIGATION WILL DECREASE THE COST OF LOW-THRUST MISSION DESIGN AND COULD ENABLE SMALLER MISSIONS TO ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR COMPUTATIONALLY EXPENSIVE OPTIMIZATION SOFTWARE ALTOGETHER.

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators