Surveying Ballistic Transfers to Low Lunar Orbit

Abstract

A simple strategy is identified to generate ballistic transfers between the Earth and Moon, i.e., transfers that perform two maneuvers: a translunar injection maneuver to depart the Earth and a lunar orbit insertion maneuver to insert into orbit at the Moon. This strategy is used to survey the performance of numerous transfers between varying Earth parking orbits and varying low lunar target orbits. The transfers surveyed include short three to six day direct transfers, longer three to four month low-energy transfers, and variants that include Earth phasing orbits and/or lunar flybys.