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

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 30kg and it is powered by a jet engine with a maximum thrust of 400N.