Fuel-Optimal Rendezvous in a Central Force Field with Linear Drag

Optimal Rendezvous Trajectory for Unmanned Aerial-Ground Vehicles

Fixed-wind unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are essential for low cost aerial surveillance and mapping applications in remote regions. One of the main limitations of UAVs is limited fuel capacity and hence requires periodic refueling to accomplish a mission. The usual mechanism of commanding the UAV to return to a stationary base station for refueling can result in fuel wastage and inefficient mission operation time. Alternatively, unmanned gound vehicle (UGV) can be used as a mobile refueling unit where the UAV will rendezvous with the UGV for refueling. In order to accurately perform this tas…

Fast Trajectory Optimization via Successive Convexification for Spacecraft Rendezvous with Integer Constraints

In this paper we present a fast method based on successive convexification for generating fuel-optimized spacecraft rendezvous trajectories in the presence of mixed-integer constraints. A recently developed paradigm of state-triggered constraints allows to efficiently embed a subset of discrete decision constraints into the continuous optimization framework of successive convexification. As a result, we are able to solve difficult trajectory optimization problems at interactive speeds, as opposed to a mixed-integer programming approach that would require significantly more solution time and co…

Rendezvous Missions to Temporarily-Captured Near Earth Asteroids

Missions to rendezvous with or capture an asteroid present significant interest both from a geophysical and safety point of view. They are key to the understanding of our solar system are as well stepping stones for interplanetary human flight. In this paper, we focus on a rendezvous mission with \RH, an asteroid classified as a Temporarily Captured Orbiter (TCO). TCOs form a new population of near Earth objects presenting many advantages toward that goal. Prior to the mission, we consider the spacecraft hibernating on a Halo orbit around the Earth-Moon's $L_2$ libration point. The objective i…

Fast Homotopy for Spacecraft Rendezvous Trajectory Optimization with Discrete Logic

This paper presents a computationally efficient optimization algorithm for solving nonconvex optimal control problems that involve discrete logic constraints. Traditional solution methods for these constraints require binary variables and mixed-integer programming, which is prohibitively slow and computationally expensive. This paper targets a fast solution that is capable of real-time implementation onboard spacecraft. To do so, a novel algorithm is developed that blends sequential convex programming and numerical continuation into a single iterative solution process. Inside the algorithm, di…

近直线晕轨道上被动安全航天器交会的连续凸化方法

Successive Convexification for Passively-Safe Spacecraft Rendezvous on Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit

提出基于连续凸化的优化方法，实现近直线晕轨道上航天器与门户空间站的燃料高效交会，确保被动安全并处理不确定性。

双脉冲最优会合转移：椭圆轨道间的家族研究

Families of Two-Impulse Optimal Rendezvous Transfers Between Elliptic Orbits

本文从家族视角重新审视经典双脉冲最优会合问题，通过参数化方法揭示最优解的连续家族结构，利用Hessian准则和Primer向量理论分类，并通过 Porkchop 图展示角域和时间域的连接，揭示轨道几何变化下局部最优分支的出现、合并与消失。