Design, development, and flight testing of the vertical take-off and landing GNC testbed EAGLE

Abstract

Precise landing on planets, moons, and other larger celestial bodies requires powered descent, hovering, and vertical landing. Similarly, recent and future concepts for re-usable launch vehicle (RLVs) also involve a vertical take-off and landing. The development of guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) for this type of vehicles is a challenging task. To support this, a vertical take-off and landing vehicle has been developed for demonstrating the capability of conducting soft landings, smooth ascent, and hovering. The focus was put on a platform for testing new and advanced guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) algorithms that employ a base set of sensors and actuators typically present on such vehicles. It should represent a dynamics similar to a thrust vector controlled planetary lander or RLV, and should allow fast turn-around times as well as rapid prototyping capabilities for testing. In addition, the platform should provide the option for an additional small payload, e.g., enhancing the on-board avionics with different or more precise sensors. The result of this platform development is EAGLE (environment for autonomous GNC landing experiments). Its lift-off mass is about {\$}{\$}30{\backslash}, {\backslash}text{\{}kg{\}}{\$}{\$}30kgand it is powered by a jet engine with a maximum thrust of {\$}{\$}400{\backslash}, {\backslash}text{\{}N{\}}{\$}{\$}400N.