A non-variation approach to multiple finite-burn propellant optimization
- Paper ID
IAF-84-354
- author
- company
Telespazio s.p.a. per le Communicazioni Spaziali
- country
Italy
- year
1984
- abstract
In this paper a non-variational approach to the finite- burn minimum-fuel problem is presented. Thrust in an inverse-square gravitational field is considered. A short thrusting arc is dealt with by a transition matrix. A long burning arc is segmented in a suitable number of subarcs where the transition matrix formulation holds. Use of appropriate penalty functions allows a mission analyst to consider several equality and inequality constraints. The minimum search algorithm is a modified ~ 1 version of the Levenberg-Marquardt method. The ! resulting computer code is able to accept even rough estimates of the optimal profiles. A wide spectrum of transfer flights is presented.