Abstract The Sun–Earth Libration Points (SEL) are an attractive location for many astronomy missions. The transfer towards a libration point orbit requires in many cases an immediate injection, meaning the launch system accelerates the spacecraft into its desired transfer orbit. The limited number of available launcher programs and the launcher dispersion then require a time-critical correction manoeuvre in order to deliver the spacecraft to its intended orbit. This manoeuvre can only be performed after the state of the spacecraft has been determined in a tracking campaign and usually takes place one to two days into the mission. The drawbacks of this strategy are on the one hand the increased Δ V requirement, since a tangential perigee velocity error has by then been amplified by a factor of approximately eight, and on the other hand, the risk of not being able to perform the manoeuvre at day two, further increasing the Δ V requirements or even losing the mission due to the limited thrust capability. This study investigates a strategy to mitigate the criticality of the first correction manoeuvre: the utilization of an intermediate highly elliptical parking orbit (HEO). The goal of this strategy is to increase the robustness of the mission design and to ease the spacecraft operation after launch. While the risk mitigation of the first mission critical manoeuvre is the primary motivation for this study there is also potential for increasing the payload mass due to the staging effect. The paper will first discuss general requirements for the transfer and two examples for missions going to a small amplitude Lissajous and a large Quasi-Halo orbit will be used to demonstrate the indirect transfer option.

    Highlights ► The indirect libration point transfer has been investigated. ► The time criticality of the first transfer correction manoeuvre can be reduced. ► The mass delivered into a libration point orbit can be increased. ► Two examples for a transfer to a small Lissajous and a large Halo orbit are given.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Sun–Earth Libration point transfer options with intermediate HEO


    Contributors:
    Renk, F. (author) / Landgraf, M. (author)

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2011-12-30


    Size :

    19 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English