Related papers: Low-Energy Round-Trip Trajectories to Near-Earth O…
Consider the spatial restricted three-body problem, as a model for the motion of a spacecraft relative to the Sun-Earth system. We focus on the dynamics near the equilibrium point $L_1$, located between the Sun and the Earth. We show that…
This paper investigates the motion of a small particle moving near the triangular points of the Earth-Moon system. The dynamics are modeled in the Hill restricted 4-body problem (HR4BP), which includes the effect of the Earth and Moon as in…
The growing interest in the cislunar domain over the past decade has led to an increasing demand for low-thrust missions to key orbits within this region. These low-thrust missions, typically characterized by long thrust arcs, are highly…
Consider the Restricted Planar Circular Three Body Problem (RPC3BP), which models the motion of a massless particle (Asteroid) under the gravitational influence of two massive bodies (the primaries) moving on circular orbits. By considering…
This paper presents a novel approach for the preliminary design of Low-Thrust, many-revolution transfers. The main feature of the novel approach is a considerable reduction in the control parameters and a consequent gain in computational…
Gravitational scattering of small bodies (planetesimals) by a planet remains a fundamental problem in celestial mechanics. It is traditionally modeled within the circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP), where individual particle…
This paper presents a novel fuel-optimal guidance and control methodology for spacecraft swarm reconfiguration in Restricted Multi-Body Problems (RMBPs) with a guarantee of passive safety, maintaining miss distance even under abrupt loss of…
In the framework of multi-body dynamics, successive encounters with a third body, even if well outside of its sphere of influence, can noticeably alter the trajectory of a spacecraft. Examples of these effects have already been exploited by…
Periodic orbits (POs) play a central role in the circular restricted three-body problem (CRTBP). This paper introduces a method to search for POs by identifying single- and multiple-revolution fixed points in chosen Poincare maps that…
In the last decades a peculiar family of solutions of the Circular Restricted Three Body Problem has been used to explain the temporary captures of small bodies and spacecrafts by a planet of the Solar System. These solutions, which transit…
This paper proposes a systematic method for generating practical and robust low-thrust spacecraft trajectories. One contribution is to consider the change in mass of the spacecraft at two levels: a) the propulsive acceleration and b) the…
In this paper a direct method based on a transcription by finite elements in time has been used to design optimal interplanetary trajectories, exploiting a combination of gravity assist maneuvers and low-thrust propulsion. A multiphase…
With an increasing interest in the design of long and complex space missions, the search for orbits that require the least amount of fuel is of fundamental interest. This paper develops existing computational models for locating Unstable…
This work presents a mission concept for in-orbit particle collection for sampling and exploration missions towards Near-Earth asteroids. Ejecta is generated via a small kinetic impactor and two possible collection strategies are…
The discovery of interstellar interlopers such as 1I/`Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov, and 3I/ATLAS have highlighted the necessity of understanding the dynamical pathways that eject small bodies from planetary systems into hyperbolic trajectories. In…
The minimum-fuel low-thrust transfer between circular orbits is formulated using the Edelbaum's averaged dynamics with the addition of the nodal precession due to the first zonal term. The extremal analysis shows that an optimal transfer is…
Long time-duration low-thrust nonlinear optimal spacecraft trajectory global search is a computationally and time expensive problem characterized by clustering patterns in locally optimal solutions. During preliminary mission design,…
The focus of this work is the current distribution of asteroids in co-orbital motion with Venus, Earth and Jupiter, under a quasi-coplanar configuration and for a medium-term timescale of the order of 900 years. A co-orbital trajectory is a…
In this paper, the near-optimal capture problem is numerically investigated to locate the optimal capture points around Charon using the Pluto-Charon planar circular restricted three-body problem (PCRTBP). Capture orbits are divided into…
Gateway will represent a primary logistic infrastructure in cislunar space. The identification of efficient orbit transfers capable of connecting Earth, Moon, and Gateway paves the way for enabling refurbishment, servicing, and utilization…