HeliCAT-DARTS: A High Fidelity, Closed-Loop Rotorcraft Simulator for Planetary Exploration
HeliCAT-DARTS is a high-fidelity rotorcraft dynamics simulator developed for the design and development of rotorcraft for planetary exploration. While initially developed for the life cycle use of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter mission, the simulator now supports a broad range of rotorcraft configurations and applications. HeliCAT provides a GNC testbed and aerial mobility analysis platform for rotorcraft design, closed-loop flight software development, verification and validation (V&V), and mission operations. This article discusses the design and use of the HeliCAT simulator and results from technology demonstrations and missions.
Authors
- Martin R. Cacan
- Carl Leake (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3750-5067)
- Tristan Hasseler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3214-799X)
- Håvard Fjær Grip
- Abhinandan Jain (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8855-4531)
- Vivian Steyert
Institutions
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Aerospace
- Published
- 2024-09-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11090727
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.49
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- California Institute of Technology
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory