Computer simulation of single burn transfers between low-Earth and halo orbits in the Sun-Earth system

Abstract

Halo orbits of Sun-Earth system are utilized in space missions as they allow to maintain the spacecraft in an area that is stationary relative to Sun and Earth. The advantage of halo orbits is their periodicity and their form allowing the spacecraft to avoid the zones of solar interference and the Earth shadow. The transfer between a low-Earth orbit and a halo orbit around a libration point can be realized by a single-burn maneuver, which transfers the spacecraft to an orbit of stable manifold resulting in a halo orbit. An amplitude of halo orbit depends on the altitude of the parking low-Earth orbit at which the transfer maneuver is performed. This work is aimed to explore and systemize the single burn transfer options utilizing single and multiple Earth passing trajectories in the framework of the circular restricted three-body problem. The algorithms providing transfer options for the desired halo orbit and the parking orbit altitude are developed. The transfer trajectories for the Sun-Earth L 1 and L 2 halo orbits in a wide range of out-of-plane amplitudes were constructed and studied. The constructed trajectories were clustered based on the transfer time and the halo orbit amplitude.