A Homotopic Direct Collocation Approach for Operational-Compliant Trajectory Design

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Astrodynamics
• Space Mission Design

Background:

• Deep-space CubeSats are crucial for future space exploration, but budget constraints necessitate operational-compliant (OC) trajectories.
• Traditional trajectory optimization methods struggle with the discontinuous constraints inherent in OC transfers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel homotopic direct collocation approach for optimizing operational-compliant trajectories for deep-space CubeSats.
• To address the convergence issues faced by traditional algorithms when dealing with discontinuous constraints.

Main Methods:

• A continuation algorithm is employed to transform fuel-optimal, low-thrust trajectories into OC solutions.
• The M-ARGO CubeSat mission is used as a case study, incorporating a realistic thruster model with variable specific impulse and thrust.

Main Results:

• The developed algorithm successfully computes OC trajectories that closely resemble non-OC optimal solutions.
• The computed trajectories match optimal solutions in terms of thrusting profiles and propellant mass.

Conclusions:

• The homotopic direct collocation approach provides an effective solution for optimizing CubeSat trajectories under operational constraints.
• This method enables fuel-efficient deep-space missions within budget limitations, validating its applicability with the M-ARGO mission.