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Optimal Continuous-Thrust Orbit Transfers, James D. Thorne
Optimal Continuous-Thrust Orbit Transfers, James D. Thorne
Theses and Dissertations
The minimum time orbital transfer problem for spacecraft with steerable, continuous thrust of constant magnitude may be solved using Euler-Lagrange theory, which leads to the optimal control law in terms of Lagrange multipliers. However, the initial values of the Lagrange multipliers are not known from the orbital boundary conditions. Using analytical and empirical results, the optimal initial costates are modeled as functions of the problem parameters which are the initial thrust acceleration, A, and the final orbit radius, H, in canonical units. For circle to circle, coplanar orbit transfers, these approximate initial costate models lead to convergence in the shooting …