Two-body approximations in the design of low-energy transfers between galilean moons

Elena Fantino*, Roberto Castelli

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book / Report / Conference proceedingConference contributionAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the robotic exploration of the Solar System has reached the moons of the giant planets. In the case of Jupiter, a strong scientific interest towards its icy moons has motivated important space missions (e.g., ESAs’ JUICE and NASA’s Europa Mission). A major issue in this context is the design of efficient trajectories enabling satellite tours, i.e., visiting the several moons in succession. Concepts like the Petit Grand Tour and the Multi-Moon Orbiter have been developed to this purpose, and the literature on the subject is quite rich. The models adopted are the two-body problem (with the patched conics approximation and gravity assists) and the three-body problem (giving rise to the so-called low-energy transfers, LETs). In this contribution, we deal with the connection between two moons, Europa and Ganymede, and we investigate a two-body approximation of trajectories originating from the stable/unstable invariant manifolds of the two circular restricted three body problems, i.e., Jupiter-Ganymede and Jupiter-Europa. We develop ad-hoc algorithms to determine the intersections of the resulting elliptical arcs, and the magnitude of the maneuver at the intersections. We provide a means to perform very fast and accurate evaluations of the minimum-cost trajectories between the two moons. Eventually, we validate the methodology by comparison with numerical integrations in the three-body problem.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAstrodynamics Network AstroNet-II - The Final Conference
PublisherKluwer Academic Publishers.
Pages63-71
Number of pages9
Volume44
ISBN (Print)9783319239842
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016
EventAstroNet-II International Final Conference, 2015 - Tossa de Mar, Spain
Duration: 15 Jun 201519 Jun 2015

Conference

ConferenceAstroNet-II International Final Conference, 2015
Country/TerritorySpain
CityTossa de Mar
Period15/06/1519/06/15

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