Warm start for optimal transfer between close circular orbits with first generation E-sail

Abstract

The Electric Solar Wind Sail (E-sail) is a propellantless propulsion system for deep space navigation that exploits the dynamic pressure of the solar wind to generate thrust using a web of long, conducting tethers. The heliocentric trajectory of an E-sail-based spacecraft in a classic transfer between two Keplerian orbits is usually analyzed, in an optimal framework, by minimizing the total flight time. This paper discusses an analytical, approximate procedure for solving the two-point boundary value problem associated with the trajectory optimization process in a heliocentric, two-dimensional scenario involving a first-generation E-sail. The procedure is applied in a typical transfer between two coplanar circular orbits whose (assigned) radii are sufficiently close to each other. Paralleling the approach proposed in the recent literature, the mathematical model presented in this paper discusses a set of analytical equations that give an accurate approximation of both the minimum flight time and the (unknowns) initial adjoint variables. The paper also analyzes a set of mission applications, which involve interplanetary transfers to some near-Earth asteroids whose orbits have a very small value of both eccentricity and inclination.