Planetary Entry Trajectory Optimization under Temporal Logic and Environmental Constraints

This paper presents a convex optimization framework for planetary entry trajectory planning that integrates Signal Temporal Logic (STL) to handle complex spatiotemporal constraints. While existing approaches either simplify dynamics (compromising fidelity) or rely on computationally prohibitive mixed-integer formulations, our method combines two key innovations: (1) a smooth log-sum-exponential approximation of STL robustness measures that preserves differentiability while ensuring asymptotic completeness, (2) successive convexification with adaptive trust regions to solve the non-convex problem with guaranteed convergence iteratively. Simulations on a planetary entry scenario with two waypoint constraints and one no-fly zone validate the framework's capability to enforce spatiotemporal specifications and dynamic constraints.