Artificial Equilibrium Points in the Low-Thrust Restricted Three-Body Problem When Both the Primaries Are Oblate Spheroids

Abstract

This paper studies the existence and stability of the artificial equilibrium points (AEPs) in the low-thrust restricted three-body problem when both the primaries are oblate spheroids. The artificial equilibrium points (AEPs) are generated by canceling the gravitational and centrifugal forces with continuous low-thrust at a non-equilibrium point. Some graphical investigations are shown for the effects of the relative parameters which characterized the locations of the AEPs. Also, the numerical values of AEPs have been calculated. The positions of these AEPs will depend not only also on magnitude and directions of low-thrust acceleration. The linear stability of the AEPs has been investigated. We have determined the stability regions in the xy, xz and yz-planes and studied the effect of oblateness parameters A1(0<A1<1) and A2(0<A2<1) on the motion of the spacecraft. We have found that the stability regions reduce around both the primaries for the increasing values of oblateness of the primaries. Finally, we have plotted the zero velocity curves to determine the possible regions of motion of the spacecraft.