A note on the optimal AOTV return

Abstract

In this paper, we determine and characterize necessary properties of the control system for the heat rate constrained atmospheric flight of a spacecraft, aeroassisted orbital transfer vehicle (AOTV), that minimizes the propellant mass required for the maneuver. Generally speaking, atmospheric flights for plane changes of the Earth orbits save fuel and increase the final mass considerably, but the problem is the aerodynamic heating. The solutions obtained in this research show that the optimal thrust usage is sensitive to the magnitude of the heat rate limit and one should be careful to choose the limit value to design the thrust controller.