Final manoeuvre from highly elliptical orbit

摘要

The paper describes an end-of-life disposal option for missions operating on high elliptical orbits (HEO). The solution we propose implies a satellite transfer from HEO to a collinear Lagrangian point of the Sun-Earth system using lunar gravity assist. The lunar swingby allows reducing the disposal cost and achieving certain required parameters of a target Lagrangian point orbit. This approach is in particular interest for astronomy satellites, hence extends the functional lifetime of satellite, while achieving certain more favourable conditions for scientific missions. The disposal scenario is analysed for RadioAstron satellite, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed solution.