Earth–Mars transfers with ballistic capture

Abstract

We construct a new type of transfer from the Earth to Mars, which ends in ballistic capture. This results in substantial savings in capture $$\varDelta v$$ from that of a classical Hohmann transfer under certain assumptions as well as an alternate way for spacecraft to transfer to Mars. This is accomplished by first becoming captured at Mars, very distant from the planet, and then from there, following a ballistic capture transfer to a desired altitude within a ballistic capture set. This is achieved by using stable sets, which are sets of initial conditions whose orbits satisfy a definition of orbital stability. This transfer type may be of interest for Mars missions because of low capture $$\varDelta v$$ , flexibility of launch period from the Earth, moderate flight time, and the benign nature of the capture process.