Low-energy transfers from GTO to lunar Halo orbits: rideshare options and sensitivities

In this research project, the design of a smallsat mission to a Halo orbit around the Earth-Moon second libration point (EML-2) using a rideshare launch opportunity to an inclined geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) was investigated. <br/>The design leverages classical results from Dynamical Systems Theory (DST) to determine low-energy transfers...

Controllability of solar-sail orbits in the Earth-Moon system

The propellantless nature of solar-sail propulsion allows researchers to design completely new sets of orbits unreachable or not-maintainable by means of conventional propulsion. The advantage of this somewhat new type of low-thrust propulsion system becomes more evident for long-duration missions where chemical or electrical rocket engines...

Connecting hyperbolic invariant manifolds at variations of the Poincaré section orientation: A numerical investigation into novel transfer solutions connecting collinear periodic libration point orbits through their associated manifold structures

The three-body problem (3BP) formulated by I. Newton has inspired many great mathematicians like L. Euler (1707-1783), J.L. Lagrange (1736-1813), K.G.J. Jacobi (1804-1851), W.R. Hamilton (1805-1865) and J.H. Poincaré (1854-1912) to develop mathematical studies, methods and theories in an attempt to solve this problem. Although these concepts...

On the Design of Transfers to Solar-Sail Displaced Orbits in the Earth-Moon System

This paper presents the design of solar-sail transfer trajectories to solar-sail displaced libration point orbits in the Earth- Moon system. The existence of families of solar-sail displaced libration point orbits in the Earth-Moon system has recently been demonstrated. These families originate from complementing the dynamics of the classical...

Linear stability and bifurcations of periodic Lagrange orbits in the Elliptic Restricted 3-Body Problem: An investigation at L1/L2 in the Earth-Moon system

The Three Body Problem (3BP) has been one of the main celestial mechanics problems in the past few centuries, for a long time studied by both engineers and mathematicians. Its practical purpose is to describe the motion of three particles only under their mutual gravitational interaction, thus it actually represents a ‘model’ of the real...

Extension of Earth-Moon libration point orbits with solar sail propulsion

This paper presents families of libration point orbits in the Earth-Moon system that originate from complementing the classical circular restricted three-body problem with a solar sail. Through the use of a differential correction scheme in combination with a continuation on the solar sail induced acceleration, families of Lyapunov, halo,...