Optimized Three-Body Gravity Assists and Manifold Transfers in End-to-End Lunar Mission Design

Summary, in English

We describe a modular optimization framework for GTO-to-moon mission design using the planar circular restricted three-body problem (PCR3BP) model. The three-body resonant gravity assists and invariant manifolds in the planar restricted three-body problem are used as basic building blocks of this mission design. The mission is optimized by appropriately timed delta-Vs, which are obtained by a shooting method and a Gauss-Pseudospectral collocation method for different phases of the mission. Depending upon the initial and final orbits, the optimized missions consume between 10-15 % less fuel compared to a Hohmann transfer, while taking around 4 to 5 months of travel time.

• Author: Piyush Grover; Christian Andersson
• Editor: James V. McAdams; David P. McKinley; Matthew M. Berry; Keith L. Jenkins
• Department/s: Mathematics (Faculty of Engineering)
• Publishing year: 2012
• Language: English
• Pages: 1189-1203
• Publication/Series: Advances in the Astronautical Sciences (Spaceflight Mechanics 2012: Proceedings of the 22nd AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting)
• Volume: 143 (2012)
• Document type: Conference paper
• Publisher: American Astronautical Society
• Topic: Mathematics
• Keywords: Optimization; Space Travel; Fuel Minimization; JModelica.org; Optimica; CasADi
• Conference name: 22nd AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting
• Conference date: 2012-01-29 - 2012-02-02
• Conference place: Charleston, South Carolina, United States
• Status: Published
• Project: LCCC
• Research group: LCCC
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1081-6003; ISSN: 0065-3438; ISBN: 978-0-87703-581-7 (print); ISBN: 978-0-87703-582-4 (CD-ROM)