Control of downrange and crossrange motion of a descent module in a certain range of reentry angles with load factor constraints

Results concerning the terminal guidance algorithm at the reentry of the descent module into the Earth atmosphere are presented. This algorithm simultaneously eliminates predicted deviations in the downrange and crossrange directions. The restriction on the tolerable load factor n ≤ 3 is taken into account. Three reentry angles are analyzed: the medium angle −1.5°, the steep angle −1.9°, and the flat angle −1.2°. The motion of the descent module is considered in the disturbed Earth atmosphere represented by the TsNIIMash model. This model includes variations of the atmosphere density and the wind field. It is demonstrated that, depending on the reentry angle, the proposed algorithm guarantees the downrange maneuver zone in the range 1240–1890 km and the crossrange maneuver zone of 210–220 km on one side. The maximum guidance error at the altitude of 1 km does not exceed 0.8 km, and the average error is 0.1 km. The algorithm uses up to three bank angle reversals and uses the numerical prediction of the remaining part of the trajectory when choosing the guidance parameters. The concept of the automatic adjustment of the bank angle reference function depending on the entry angle and the prescribed distance to the target point in the maneuver zone is formulated.