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Á. Carrasco Tabera

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Master thesis (2026) - Á. Carrasco Tabera, M.C. Naeije, S. Gehly, E. van Kampen, Pavle Scepanovic
Making launch vehicles fully reusable is a central goal of modern spaceflight, yet recovering the upper stage remains unsolved, because it must dissipate enormous energy during atmospheric re-entry while staying inside a narrow heating and load corridor and reaching a precise terminal state. This thesis develops and validates a closed-loop guidance and control framework for such re-entries. A successive convexification guidance layer solves the constrained re-entry trajectory optimisation problem by convex optimisation, re-planning in a receding horizon, while a three-axis attitude controller tracks its commands on the fully coupled nonlinear dynamics. The framework is then turned into a tool that assesses vehicle configurations and actuator sizing by flying each candidate design through the complete closed loop. Validated on a winged-body vehicle and the Apollo capsule through extensive Monte Carlo campaigns, it quantifies robustness and links early design choices to real mission and propellant outcomes. ...