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Direct Collocation Methods for Boost–Glide Vehicle Trajectory Optimization with Newtonian Aerodynamic Model

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2026

Abstract

Direct orthogonal collocation has been applied to generate optimal hypersonic trajectories, but often previous research has struggled to capture the effects of vehicle orientation. In this work, an aerodynamic model was developed for an elliptic cone glide geometry at a variety of angles of attack using Newtonian approximations, while polynomial approximations were used to define the functional relationship between an input angle of attack and the vehicle lift and drag coefficient. This allowed for variability of the aerodynamic parameters during flight, with angle of attack serving as a control input. This model was implemented into a direct orthogonal collocation framework, and a series of boost–glide trajectories were successfully simulated, with objectives of minimum distance to target, minimum time to target, and maximum velocity at final time for a single target. The optimal control problem was then expanded into a reachability study, where a wide range of cost functions, constraints, and mission scenarios were simulated, along with studies on maximum range for the vehicle model. Results demonstrated a robust framework for the creation of hypersonic trajectories and the ability to implement a rapidly generated aerodynamic model to capture higher-fidelity behavior in the simulation.

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Source Publication

Journal of Aircraft (ISSN 0021-8669 | eISSN 1533-3868)

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