A proposed Gateway facility in a lunar near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) will serve as an outpost in cislunar space, with various spacecraft periodically arriving and departing. The dynamics in the proximity of an NRHO are complex; the motion is primarily influenced by the Earth and Moon within the vicinity of the NRHO, but spacecraft are significantly impacted by solar gravity upon departure from the lunar vicinity. The current investigation explores two aspects of the trajectory dynamics after a separation maneuver from Gateway: departure dynamics and escape dynamics. The departure dynamics analysis focuses on the immediate fate of the trajectory after a maneuver, while the object remains close to the NRHO. The escape dynamics analysis details the outcome of the trajectory, that is, whether it remains in the Earth-Moon vicinity or escapes to heliocentric space. This investigation identifies a range of parameters and metrics at the different stages along the departed trajectory that inform the trajectory design process.
Departure and Escape Dynamics from the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits in the Earth-Moon-Sun System
J Astronaut Sci
The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences ; 69 , 4 ; 1076-1114
2022-08-01
39 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
Multi-body dynamics , Near rectilinear halo orbit , Circular restricted three-body model , Bicircular restricted four-body model , Escape dynamics , Dynamical systems theory Engineering , Aerospace Technology and Astronautics , Mathematical Applications in the Physical Sciences , Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Exploration and Astronautics)