Aerospace Trajectory Optimization Using Direct Transcription and Collocation

Demonstrates the solution of an aerospace trajectory optimization problem.

In the language of optimal control theory, this problem is a “continuous system with functions of the state variables prescribed at a fixed terminal time”. The numerical example given in the text is a continuous, low-thrust coplanar orbit transfer from Earth to Mars. The orbits of the planets are assumed to be circular and coplanar, and the total transfer time is about 193 days.