Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2022) | Viewed by 23554

Special Issue Editor

Department of Aerospace Science and Engineering, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA
Interests: orbital mechanics, astrodynamics and spacecraft GNC; spacecraft trajectory optimization; orbit determination using GPS; spacecraft navigation and control for asteroid exploration; rendezvous, proximity operations and docking of spacecraft; aircraft flight control; spacecraft attitude determination and control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) capability is a critical component of every aerospace vehicle and spacecraft system. Emerging applications in spacecraft attitude determination and control system, on-orbit proximity operations and planetary exploration, and aircraft flight control and navigation system are driving researchers to develop innovative GNC technologies. I am pleased to announce this special issue of Aerospace, and invite manuscripts that highlight recent advances in this field. The scope of this special issue will include:

  • GNC system design
  • Design and analysis of orbit/attitude determination and control systems.
  • Spacecraft formation flying
  • Spacecraft rendenzvous, proximity operations and docking
  • Spacecraft control and navigation for moon, mars and asteroid exploration
  • Spacecraft trajectory optimization
  • Aircraft flight control and navigation
  • GNSS/INS navigation
Dr. Daero Lee
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 701 KiB  
Article
Conversion Flight Control for Tiltrotor Aircraft via Active Disturbance Rejection Control
by Ke Lu, Hongyuan Tian, Pan Zhen, Senkui Lu and Renliang Chen
Aerospace 2022, 9(3), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace9030155 - 12 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2851
Abstract
The tiltrotor aircraft consists of three primary flight modes, which are helicopter flight mode in low forward speed flight, airplane flight mode in high forward speed flight and conversion flight mode. This paper presents an active disturbance rejection controller for tiltrotor aircraft conversion [...] Read more.
The tiltrotor aircraft consists of three primary flight modes, which are helicopter flight mode in low forward speed flight, airplane flight mode in high forward speed flight and conversion flight mode. This paper presents an active disturbance rejection controller for tiltrotor aircraft conversion flight. First, a tiltrotor aircraft flight dynamics model is developed and verified. Then, conversion flight control laws, designed via the active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) and sliding mode control (SMC) techniques, are proposed for the tiltrotor aircraft with model uncertainties and external disturbance, which are estimated with an extended state observer. Finally, the simulation of automatic conversion flight is carried out, which shows the effectiveness of the developed controller. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control)
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23 pages, 1656 KiB  
Article
Fault Tolerant Attitude and Orbit Determination System for Small Satellite Platforms
by Andrea Colagrossi and Michèle Lavagna
Aerospace 2022, 9(2), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace9020046 - 19 Jan 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 6517
Abstract
Small satellite platforms are experiencing increasing interest from the space community, because of the reduced cost and the performance available with current technologies. In particular, the hardware composing the attitude and orbit control system (AOCS) has reached a strong maturity level, and the [...] Read more.
Small satellite platforms are experiencing increasing interest from the space community, because of the reduced cost and the performance available with current technologies. In particular, the hardware composing the attitude and orbit control system (AOCS) has reached a strong maturity level, and the dimensions of the components allow redundant sets of sensors and actuators. Thus, the software shall be capable of managing these redundancies with a fault tolerant structure. This paper presents an attitude and orbit determination system (AODS) architecture, with embedded failure detection and isolation functions, and autonomous redundant component management and reconfiguration for basic failure recovery. The system design and implementation has been sized for small satellite platforms, characterized by limited computing capacities, and reduced autonomy level. The discussion describes the system architecture, with particular emphasis on the failure detection and isolation blocks at the component level. The set of functions managing failure detection at system level is also described in the paper. The proposed system is capable of reconfiguring and autonomously recalibrating after various failures had occurred. Attention is also dedicated to the achieved performance, satisfying stringent requirements for a small satellite platform. In these regards, the simulation results used to verify the performance of the proposed system at the model-in-the-loop (MIL) level are also reported. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control)
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22 pages, 1700 KiB  
Article
Multi-Objective and Multi-Phase 4D Trajectory Optimization for Climate Mitigation-Oriented Flight Planning
by Alessio Vitali, Manuela Battipede and Angelo Lerro
Aerospace 2021, 8(12), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8120395 - 13 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2863
Abstract
Aviation contribution to global warming and anthropogenic climate change is increasing every year. To reverse this trend, it is crucial to identify greener alternatives to current aviation technologies and paradigms. Research in aircraft operations can provide a swift response to new environmental requirements, [...] Read more.
Aviation contribution to global warming and anthropogenic climate change is increasing every year. To reverse this trend, it is crucial to identify greener alternatives to current aviation technologies and paradigms. Research in aircraft operations can provide a swift response to new environmental requirements, being easier to exploit on current fleets. This paper presents the development of a multi-objective and multi-phase 4D trajectory optimization tool to be integrated within a Flight Management System of a commercial aircraft capable of performing 4D trajectory tracking in a Free Route Airspace context. The optimization algorithm is based on a Chebyshev pseudospectral method, adapted to perform a multi-objective optimization with the two objectives being the Direct Operating Cost and the climate cost of a climb-cruise-descent trajectory. The climate cost function applies the Global Warming Potential metric to derive a comprehensive cost index that includes the climate forcing produced by CO2 and non-CO2 emissions, and by the formation of aircraft-induced clouds. The output of the optimization tool is a set of Pareto-optimal 4D trajectories among which the aircraft operator can choose the best solution that satisfies both its economic and environmental goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control)
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16 pages, 1207 KiB  
Article
Iterative Lambert’s Trajectory Optimization for Extrasolar Bodies Interception
by Alicia Herrero, Santiago Moll, José-A. Moraño, David Vázquez and Erika Vega
Aerospace 2021, 8(12), 366; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8120366 - 27 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2202
Abstract
Interception of extrasolar objects is one of the major current astrophysical objectives since it allows gathering information on the formation and composition of other planetary systems. This paper develops a tool to design optimal orbits for the interception of these bodies considering the [...] Read more.
Interception of extrasolar objects is one of the major current astrophysical objectives since it allows gathering information on the formation and composition of other planetary systems. This paper develops a tool to design optimal orbits for the interception of these bodies considering the effects of different perturbation sources. The optimal trajectory is obtained by solving a Lambert’s problem that gives the required initial impulse. A numerical integration of a perturbed orbital model is calculated. This model considers the perturbations of the joint action of the gravitational potentials of the Solar System planets and the solar radiation pressure. These effects cause a deviation in the orbit that prevents the interception from taking place, so an iterative correction scheme of the initial estimated impulse is presented, capable of modifying the orbit and achieving a successful interception in a more realistic environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control)
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17 pages, 33799 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study of Different Algorithms for a Flight Control System Design and the Potentiality of Their Integration with a Sidestick
by Alexandr V. Efremov, Zoe Mbikayi and Eugene V. Efremov
Aerospace 2021, 8(10), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8100290 - 07 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2421
Abstract
The modern trend of developing highly automated aircraft is characterized by a transition from traditional methods and technical solutions to innovative approaches in order to control the system, inceptor and display design. This paper deals with the development and comparison of flight control [...] Read more.
The modern trend of developing highly automated aircraft is characterized by a transition from traditional methods and technical solutions to innovative approaches in order to control the system, inceptor and display design. This paper deals with the development and comparison of flight control system algorithms based on inverse dynamics, H-infinity and traditional feedback methods. The integration of a controller based on inverse dynamics with a novel type of sidestick, shaping the pilot output signal such that it is proportional to the control force (force sensing control—FSC), is studied. The inverse dynamics-based controller is chosen, as it provides a variance of error that is up to 2.3 times less than that of the feedback gains and up to 1.5 times less than that of the H-infinity controller in a pitch tracking task. The synergetic effect arising from the proposed integration is also evaluated. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the methods is carried out through mathematical modeling of the pilot–aircraft system and ground-based simulations on a helicopter mathematical model in a pitch tracking task. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control)
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23 pages, 5730 KiB  
Article
A Hybrid Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion Control for Improving Flying Qualities of Asymmetric Store Configuration Aircraft
by Chang-ho Ji, Chong-sup Kim and Byoung-Soo Kim
Aerospace 2021, 8(5), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8050126 - 02 May 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3494
Abstract
Highly maneuverability fighter aircrafts are equipped with various weapons for successful air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The aircraft has abrupt transient response due to ejection force generated when store of one wing is launched and the movement of lateral center-of-gravity (YCG) changing by the [...] Read more.
Highly maneuverability fighter aircrafts are equipped with various weapons for successful air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The aircraft has abrupt transient response due to ejection force generated when store of one wing is launched and the movement of lateral center-of-gravity (YCG) changing by the mass distribution of both wings after launched. Under maintaining 1 g level flight with manual trim system in the asymmetric store configuration, the aircraft causes unexpected roll motion for the pure longitudinal maneuver because the change of AoA and airspeed changes the amount of trim for level flight of the aircraft. For this reason, the pilot should continuously use the roll control stick input to maintain level flight. This characteristic increases the pilot’s workload and adversely affects the flying qualities of the aircraft, which is a major cause of deteriorating mission efficiency for combat maneuver. In this paper, we propose a hybrid control that combines model- and sensor-based Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (INDI) control based mathematical model of the supersonic advanced trainer to minimize the transient response of the aircraft when the store is launched and to effectively reduce the unexpected roll motion that occurs for the pure longitudinal maneuvering in the asymmetric store configuration. As a result of the frequency- and time-domain evaluation, the proposed control method can effectively reduce the transient response for store launch and minimize unexpected roll motion for the pure longitudinal maneuver. Therefore, this control method can effectively improve flying qualities and mission efficiency by reducing the pilot’s workload in the operation of the asymmetric store configuration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control)
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