A transfer network linking Earth, Moon, and the triangular libration point regions in the Earth-Moon system

摘要

In the near future, several space applications in the Earth-Moon system may require a spacecraft to hold a stable motion, but the transfer trajectory infrastructure to access such stable motions has not been fully investigated yet. The triangular libration points, L-4 and L-5 in the Earth-Moon system have long been thought of as potential locations for a communications satellite. Recently, Distant Retrograde Orbits (DROs) and Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbits (NRHOs) in the vicinity of the Moon have been identified as orbits of interest for manned and unmanned missions with a focus on operations in cislunar space. The triangular libration points, as well as lunar DROs and NRHOs describe special types of possible motion for a spacecraft/satellite that is influenced solely by the gravitational fields of the Earth and the Moon. What is common to the three types of solutions is that they are practically stable, that is, a spacecraft/satellite can naturally follow the solution for extended periods of time without requiring significant course adjustment maneuvers. This investigation proposes the lunar region as the central link to a transfer network that enables travel throughout the Earth-Moon system, connecting the lunar region to the vicinity of the Earth and the neighborhood of the triangular libration points. The work presented here also contributes to the infrastructure supporting such a network by expanding the transfer options available between these regions. Several new transfer options between regions of stability are presented and discussed, including transfer options between Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and lunar DRO, lunar DRO and periodic orbits near L-4 and L-5, as well as lunar DRO and L-2 NRHOs. Underlying dynamical mechanisms enabling transfers between selected orbits are analyzed, and sample itineraries are provided. (C) 2018 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.