An Instantaneous Impact Point Guidance for Rocket with Aerodynamics Control

Abstract

This paper aims to propose a new guidance algorithm for a rocket with aerodynamics control for launch operations, based on the concept of the instantaneous impact point (IIP). In this study, the rocket with aerodynamics control is considered with the purpose of reducing dispersion of the impact point after separation of the rocket for safety reasons. Since a very limited aerodynamic maneuverability is typically allowed for the rocket due to the structural limit, a guidance algorithm producing a huge acceleration demand is not desirable. Based on this aspect, the proposed guidance algorithm is derived directly from the underlying principle of the guidance process: forming the collision geometry towards a target point. To be more specific, the collision-ballistic-trajectory where the instantaneous impact point becomes the target point, and the corresponding heading error are first determined using a rapid ballistic trajectory prediction technique. Here, the trajectory prediction method is based on the partial closed-form solutions of the ballistic trajectory equations considering aerodynamic drag and gravity. And then, the proposed guidance algorithm works to nullify the heading error in a finite time, governed by the optimal error dynamics. The key feature of the proposed guidance algorithm lies in its simple implementation and exact collision geometry nature. Hence, the proposed method allows achieving the collision course with minimal guidance command, and it is a desirable property for the guidance algorithm of the rocket with the aerodynamics control. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed guidance algorithms.