Touch points in optimal ascent trajectories with first-order state inequality constraints

1995 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved. Optimal trajectories of the Advanced Launch System (ALS) with a dynamic pressure inequality constraint (first order) are obtained using the method of multiple shooting. The numerical results demonstrate the existence of a touch point in the optimal trajectory for a special value of the dynamic pressure limit. This study verifies that optimal control problems with first order state inequality constraints can have boundary arcs and also an extremal arc touching the boundary. Hence, these two structures of the optimal trajectory must be considered in many aerospace problems with first order state inequality constraints.

Touch points in optimal ascent trajectories with first-order state inequality constraints Conference Paper