Precision Landing Trajectory Optimization for eVTOL Vehicles with High-Fidelity Aerodynamic Models

In the concept of urban air mobility (UAM), electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles are designed to exploit the third dimension of urban airspace, offering services such as package delivery, passenger transportation, and emergency medical missions. Due to limited onboard space and battery capacity, trajectory optimization for eVTOL flight missions must achieve mission objectives while adhering to all operational, safety, and dynamic constraints. However, in real-world scenarios, particularly during vehicle descent and landing phases, environmental factors can significantly impact the aircraft’s aerodynamic performance. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a novel approach for solving the optimal landing control problem for eVTOL vehicles, incorporating high-fidelity aerodynamic models. The aerodynamic models, driven by ordinary differential equations (ODEs), are integrated with nominal flight dynamics within an optimal control problem formulation. This formulation is solved using two methods for comparison: the OpenMDAO tool and the GPOPS-II solver. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.