B–plane assisted trajectory design with analytical mapping of swing-by parameters

Abstract

The Artemis program has gathered further attention due to the transfer trajectories to the Moon and beyond. Trajectories such as weak stability boundary and ballistic lunar transfer are known as low-energy transfer toward the vicinity of the Moon. Among these categories, using the Moon swing-by contributes to the reduction of fuel consumption. In this study, we investigate trajectory design with the Moon swing-by as a constraint, and propose a methodology that projects swing-by parameters onto a conventional B–plane to facilitate the efficient analysis and design of post swing-by trajectories. This proposed approach not only enables a comprehensive understanding of all candidate solutions at each swing-by, but also provides flexibility in response to varied swing-by conditions. As illustrative examples, this paper demonstrates transfer problems to periodic orbits in the Earth–Moon system.