Divert Capability Analysis of the Energy Optimal Guidance Law for Mars Soft Landing

Abstract

This paper investigates the optimal energy guidance law in Mars soft landing descent phase and analyzes the influence of the propellant mass coefficient, time weight and various initial conditions on divert capability. For certain initial states, the divert capability has something to do with not only the fuel but also the nature of the guidance law. In a real engineering mission, to make the best use of fuel, the time weight should be adjusted according to the Mars lander states. The optimal time weight is determined and the divert capability is maximized with a certain propellant mass coefficient.

Keywords

dynamic descent phase / energy optimal guidance law / divert capability / optimal time weight