Sensitivity Analysis for Aeroassisted Maneuvers Trajectory under Uncertainties

Aeroassisted techniques utilize atmospheric drag to reduce spacecraft orbital energy, have demonstrated significant fuel efficiency benefits for long-duration space missions. However, the complexity of environmental factors, such as uncertain atmospheric density and temperature, can introduce significant uncertainty into orbital control. This paper investigates the sensitivity analysis of atmospheric flight trajectories with aeroassisted maneuvers under uncertainties. A trajectory dispersion sensitivity analysis method based on state transition tensor (STT) is introduced, and its accuracy is verified through numerical simulations. The impact of environmental and state uncertainties on trajectory stability is analyzed. In addition, a correlation analysis method based on linear regression is employed to evaluate the correlation between random inputs and random outputs, providing a quantitative characterization of the contribution of the variability of each input to the overall variability of the output. The results emphasize the critical influences of initial trajectory radius, atmospheric density, and drag coefficients on trajectory dispersion, providing design support for future missions. This work underscores the importance of addressing these uncertainties to improve the reliability of aeroassisted maneuvers in Martian exploration missions.