Designing Low-Energy Low-Thrust Flight to the Moon on a Temporary Capture Trajectory

Abstract

The study considers the problem of calculating the low-energy trajectories of a low-thrust spacecraft to the Moon during the ballistic capture. The transfer is carried out using a transit trajectory in the vicinity of one of the collinear libration points L1 or L2 of the Earth-Moon system. Using a transit trajectory allows us to reduce fuel consumptions for the transfer by applying spacecraft dynamic in the Earth-Moon system. After exit from the orbit of ballistic capture, depending on the goal of mission the required lunar orbit can be formed, or the maneuver can be completed for inserting into the required interplanetary trajectory. A method for solving the problem is proposed, which consists in selecting the suitable transit trajectory to ensure sufficiently long duration of staying a spacecraft in the sphere of influence of the Moon, and in calculating the optimal low-thrust trajectories from initial lunar orbit to the transit trajectory to the Moon. To solve the problem of optimal control and calculate the optimal exit point to the transit trajectory, the Pontryagin’s maximum principle is used in combination with the continuation method by parameter. Numerical examples are given for calculating low-energy trajectories to the Moon during the ballistic capture with the optimization of exit point to the transit trajectory.