Low-thrust electric propulsion missions are often designed under simplifying assumptions such as constant thrust or fixed specific impulse, neglecting the strong coupling between trajectory dynamics, spacecraft power availability, and propulsion performance. In deep-space environments with reduced solar irradiance, these assumptions can lead to suboptimal or infeasible designs, underscoring the need to simultaneously optimize the trajectory and power subsystem. This paper presents a multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) framework for the simultaneous design of low-thrust trajectories and spacecraft power systems, with explicit coupling to electric propulsion performance. The framework incorporates a high-fidelity variable-specific impulse model of the SPT-140 Hall thruster, in which thrust and efficiency are directly constrained by time-varying solar power availability and solar array degradation, rather than treated as fixed parameters. The coupled problem is posed as a time-optimal control problem and addressed using a framework built on top of OpenMDAO and Dymos toolchains, where Dymos employs a collocation-based direct-transcription approach for trajectory optimization. OpenMDAO provides accurate analytic partial derivatives, enabling efficient gradient-based optimization. A Fast Fourier Series shape-based method is used to generate dynamically feasible initial guess trajectories, and the resulting nonlinear programming problem is solved using IPOPT. The proposed framework is demonstrated through a low-thrust orbit insertion scenario around asteroid 16-Psyche, a regime in which reduced solar irradiance makes power-aware trajectory design particularly critical. Simulation results demonstrate the framework's ability to capture key power-propulsion-trajectory trade-offs, highlighting the importance of integrated power optimization for realistic electric propulsion mission design.
Shanghai Research Institute for Intelligent Autonomous Systems, Tongji University（同济大学上海自主智能无人系统科学中心）；The Chinese University of Hong Kong（香港中文大学）；Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics（南京航空航天大学）；Peng Cheng Laboratory（鹏城实验室）；Zhejiang University（浙江大学）
Aerial-aquatic vehicles are capable to move in the two most dominant fluids, making them more promising for a wide range of applications. We propose a prototype with special designs for propulsion and thruster configuration to cope with the vast differences in the fluid properties of water and air. For propulsion, the operating range is switched for the different mediums by the dual-speed propulsion unit, providing sufficient thrust and also ensuring output efficiency. For thruster configuration, thrust vectoring is realized by the rotation of the propulsion unit around the mount arm, thus enh…
Integrated Lander-Propulsion-GNC Framework for Autonomous Lunar Powered Descent
Turkuzaysan Inc.（Turkuzaysan公司）；Puura Inc.（Puura公司）；Final Proximity Space Systems Inc.（Final Proximity Space Systems公司）；TUBITAK Space Technologies Research Institute（TUBITAK空间技术研究研究所）
Todayś world of spaceś primary concern is the uncontrolled growth of space debris and its probability of collision with spacecraft, particularly in the low earth orbit (LEO) regions. This paper is aimed to design an optimized micro-propulsion system, Cold Gas Thruster, to de-orbit the PSLV debris from 668km to 250 km height after capturing process. The propulsion system mainly consists of a storage tank, pipes, control valves, and a convergent-divergent nozzle. The paper gives an idea of the design of each component based on a continuous iterative process until the design thrust requirements a…
Efficient performance of a number of engineering systems is achieved through different modes of operation - yielding systems described as "hybrid", containing both real-valued and discrete decision variables. Prominent examples of such systems, in space applications, could be spacecraft equipped with 1) a variable-$I_{\text{sp}}$, variable-thrust engine or 2) multiple engines each capable of switching on/off independently. To alleviate the challenges that arise when an indirect optimization method is used, a new framework --- Composite Smooth Control (CSC) --- is proposed that seeks smoothness…
The increase in the application of the satellite has skyrocketed the number of satellites, especially in the low earth orbit. The major concern today is after the end of life, these satellites become debris which negatively affects the space environment. As per the international guidelines of the European Space Agency, it is mandatory to deorbit the satellite within 25 years of the end of life. StudSat1, which was successfully launched on 12th July 2010, is the first Pico satellite developed in India by undergraduate students from seven different engineering colleges across South India. Now, t…
Online Performance Optimization of a DC Motor Driving a Variable Pitch Propeller
School of Aerospace Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院航空航天工程学院）；School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology（佐治亚理工学院航空航天工程学院）
