Robustness Analysis Related to the Control Design of the SHEFEX-II Hypersonic Canard Control Experiment

Abstract

This paper presents the simulation based robustness analysis w.r.t. parameters and initial conditions, related to the hypersonic flight experiment called SHEFEX-II. The robustness criteria and the parameter limits are obtained from the nominal mission profile, the vehicles configuration, and the results of a previous flight test in 2005. Necessary background knowledge and the nominal mission profile are presented. Simulation results are introduced to define the nominal and the worst case trajectories. Due to the fast changing air density during the reentry flight, simulations with modified initial conditions are used to determine the desired damping. Furthermore, preliminary flight test results are presented and discussed.