KEY CONTROL TECHNIQUES FOR GNC DESIGN OF MARTIAN VEHICLES

The determination of the best control technique for a given application is not an easy problem, most of the time, the designer selects a technique depending on his/her own experience and with a preference for simplest ones. However, if such an approach is possible for most missions, it becomes insufficient for Martian missions when the controller performances may endanger the vehicle safety or result in a non-optimal use of the propellant mass. This paper provides results of the ESA study robust online control customization techniques for planetary space vehicles study. This study aims at testing various control techniques on different Martian phases, including aerocapture, entry, rendezvous, and orbit control maneuvers.