MIDACO on MINLP Space Applications Martin Schlueter Division of Large Scale Computing Systems, Information Initiative Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0811, Japan
[email protected] Sven O. Erb European Space Agency (ESA), ESTEC (TEC-ECM), Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
[email protected] Matthias Gerdts Institut fuer Mathematik und Rechneranwendung, Universit¨atder Bundeswehr, M¨unchen,D-85577 Neubiberg/M¨unchen,Germany
[email protected] Stephen Kemble Astrium Limited, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2AS, United Kingdom
[email protected] Jan-J. R¨uckmann School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
[email protected] November 15, 2012 Abstract A numerical study on two challenging MINLP space applications and their optimization with MIDACO, which is a recently developed general purpose optimization software, is pre- sented. The applications are in particular the optimal control of the ascent of a multiple-stage space launch vehicle and the space mission trajectory design from Earth to Jupiter using mul- tiple gravity assists. Additionally an NLP aerospace application, the optimal control of an F8 aircraft manoeuvre, is furthermore discussed and solved. In order to enhance the opti- mization performance of MIDACO a hybridization technique, coupling MIDACO with a SQP algorithm, is presented for two of the three applications. The numerical results show, that the applications can be solved to their best known solution (or even new best solutions) in a reasonable time by the here considered approach. As the concept of MINLP is still a novelty in the field of (aero)space engineering, the here demonstrated capabilities are seen as promising.