A METHOD OF TRAJECTORY OPTIMIZATION DESIGN FOR ROCKET-POWERED HYPERSONIC VEHICLE

A method of trajectory optimization design based on hybrid control of aerodynamics force and rocket engine thrust is proposed, in order to improve the range and flight performance of hypersonic vehicle. For the trajectory optimization problem of the hybrid control during the gliding phase of the hypersonic vehicle, a piecewise Gauss pseudo-spectral method for solving multi-segment trajectories with different characteristics is presented, which transforms the multi-segment optimal control problem into a nonlinear programming problem. The vehicle trajectory optimization method with the maximum range as the performance index is obtained by solving the nonlinear programming problem with sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm, and the influence of single and multiple ignition of rocket engine on flight trajectory is studied under limited fuel and appropriate ignition conditions. The numerical simulation results illustrate that the piecewise Gauss pseudo-spectral method can quickly solve the optimal trajectory of the rocket-powered hypersonic vehicle, and the rocket engine single ignition and multiple ignition schemes can also improve the performance of the vehicle in different aspects.