State-Space Perturbation Analytical Solution for the Dynamics of Launch-Vehicle Boost Phase

Abstract

Rapid launching is a crucial technology for the digitalization and regularization of space transportation systems. This paper focuses on the fast trajectory prediction of the launch-vehicle boost phase. A high-precision and high-efficiency analytical solution of the whole boost phase dynamics model of the rocket is obtained by adopting one of the regular perturbation methods called the state-space perturbation method in the launch rotated coordinate system. An analytical framework known as the perturbation expansion framework is proposed by first figuring out the correlation with the state variables/independent variables and then performing the approximate expansion. This framework can successfully address the issue of analytically solving the transfer matrix and integral term caused by the coupling and time-varying properties among state variables of the affine equations of the boost phase. The analytical solution developed in this paper has great fidelity and takes into account the combined effects of various factors, including thrust, aerodynamic force, Earth’s gravity, oblateness, and rotation. It can serve as a theoretical guide for the rapid launch requirements and iterative design processes for early rocket demonstrations in engineering.