Accurate Skip-Entry Guidance for low to medium L/D spacecrafts return missions requiring high range capabilities

摘要

This paper presents a new entry guidance scheme that has been designed within the frame of the ESA-funded "Robust Skip Entry" program and that enables the safe and accurate return at any time from the Moon or from the ISS of a capsule or a lifting body. The core technique of the guidance scheme is a predictor-corrector with a numerical prediction process (4th order Runge-Kutta method) that is compliant with the next generation of on-board processor. The behaviour of this new guidance scheme is illustrated using a light simulation testbed (only performance models for the Navigation and Control functions are retained) on two ARD-like capsule entry missions: an ISS return and the most sizing lunar return with a 10000 km downrange requiring an intermediate skip-entry phase. Additional Monte-Carlo simulations considering the whole set of ESA-defined entry missions highlight the performance and the robustness of this skip entry guidance scheme that has a simplified settings process that depends only on the class of the entry vehicle and of the type of return mission (ISS servicing or Moon return).