Website under maintenance

You are here

Home » FLIGHT DYNAMICS

FLIGHT DYNAMICS

Subscribe to RSS - FLIGHT DYNAMICS

This is the introduction page of the CNES flight dynamic tools.

Such kind of tools has already been made available by CNES, for many years. But more recently, it has been decided to make available much other ones particularly due to used languages (Java and Scilab) allowing a greater portability and usability.

About “new” tools, mainly coded in Java, we will find libraries (available with an Open source distribution):

  • a very complete library including as well basic classes and methods (as frame changes or orbital parameters conversions) as much higher level ones (orbital propagator, attitude laws or maneuvers sequence …).
  • PATRIUS_DATASET, a set of data necessary for using some PATRIUS functionalities (for example UTC-TAI gaps).
  • a library including basic widgets for GUI but with a lot of other functionalities very well adapted to scientific GUI (units management, validity domain …).
  • a library including flight dynamics widgets, based on GENIUS and linked to PATRIUS objects.

… or some tools usable as is with their own GUI :

  • a numerical orbital propagator around Earth.
  • a tool allowing to estimate long and middle term Earth reentry dates (some months to one  week in advance).
  • MIPELEC, a trajectory optimizer with low thrust level maneuvers (Java version of the previous Fortran version -which is always available- will be available soon).

At last, it is also possible to get other Scilab tools via these both packages:

  • a toolbox for mission analysis purpose (trajectory analysis and orbit design ...)
  • CELESTLABX: low-level interfaces to existing software
  • SIMU-CIC: tool allowing to generate ephemeris files compliant with the CIC protocol

From “old” tools, we will find only:

  • MSLIB, a Fortran 90 library including basic routines.

Other tools, more specific due to their utilization in the frame of the French Space Operation Act (FSOA, LOS in french) are available in the FSOA section:

  • an orbital propagator based on a semi analytic integration method of the orbital parameters.
  • (available soon), a tool allowing to compute the risk to do a victim for launch failure cases or spacecraft reentry.
  • a tool allowing to simulate atmospheric reentry of space debris taking into account aerothermodynamics effects.

At last a graphical visualization tool is also available via a dedicated site.

FLIGHT DYNAMICS