Trajectory Optimization for Boom-Minimizing Supersonic Transport Over the Continental U.S.

Supersonic transport (SST) has been a focus of aviation research since the 1950s, and its commercialization culminated in the Anglo-French airliner, the Concorde. Due to the disruptive sonic booms generated along its path and the unsustainable operational costs, SSTs have retreated from the forefront of research following the Concorde's decommission. In the United States, strong public opposition to the sonic booms further led the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prohibit all civil supersonic flights overland. Recently a renewed interest in SST has emerged, driven by advances in boom-minimization configurations, which aim to re-evaluate the prospects of overland supersonic flights. In light of this resurgence, this paper presents a modular optimization framework for supersonic trajectory planning that integrates analytical flow models, population density profile, and flight dynamics within a constrained optimal control formulation. Two sample trajectories over the continental U.S. based on this framework are computed via GPOPS-II. The results demonstrate the framework’s ability to produce population-aware, boom-minimizing flight paths, and provide insights into SST mission design, regulations, and air-traffic management.