Rapid Design Space Exploration for Conceptual Design of Hypersonic Missions

During conceptual design, multidisciplinary optimization is often performed using computationally intensive direct methods. Prior work has shown that rapid design studies can be performed using fast indirect methods, but several optimization techniques including discrete dynamic programming, nonlinear inversion, and pseudospectral methods are required to construct a suitable initial guess within the design space. In this investigation, a simplied methodology is developed to eliminate these optimization techniques, enabling rapid design space exploration using continuation of indirect methods alone. This is made possible by initially converging to a simple solution that is outside of the design space of interest, and solutions within the design space of interest are quickly accessed through continuation from this initial solution. As an initial step to automate this continuation process, state transition tensors are used to predict optimal solutions throughout the design space. A methodology is developed to provide accurate predictions of trajectories with varying ight times, and the error of these predictions is controlled to regulate the continuation process. This approach provides exibility to adapt to future computational capabilities and serves as an initial step to bridge the gap between conceptual trajectory design and onboard trajectory planning.