Abstract
Just as skilled sailors map and navigate the safe routes through rocky seas, understanding the pathways through our Solar System is essential to traverse space’s unpredictable and challenging terrain. This study presents a method for
visualising energy-efficient pathways through the Solar System, that could provide mission planners with a valuable tool to identify optimal launch windows and multi-planet flyby opportunities. By leveraging traditional solutions to Lambert’s problem within a simplified 2-body framework, 3D histograms are generated representing the frequency of occurrence of the interplanetary trajectories. These histograms illustrate key launch windows where low-energy
transfers between Earth and other planetary bodies, including Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn exist. The results are compiled into a Solar System roadmap covering the departure dates ranging from 2019 to 2023, highlighting launch
opportunities and favourable energy conditions for both single-destination and multi-target missions. This roadmap allows different trajectory options for deep space exploration to be efficiently compared and emphasises the importance
of timing in maximising mission flexibility and minimising propulsion requirements. Distinct clusters of low-energy launch windows are identified as occurring in mid-2020 and 2022 indicating mission opportunities that are resilient to changes in launch date. Additionally, the inclusion of flyby trajectories allows consideration of designing extended missions with efficient fuel consumption. The insights gained from analysis of these possible trajectories could inform development of propulsion, radiation shielding, and telecommunications systems tailored to the needs of deep-space missions, particularly for small spacecraft.
visualising energy-efficient pathways through the Solar System, that could provide mission planners with a valuable tool to identify optimal launch windows and multi-planet flyby opportunities. By leveraging traditional solutions to Lambert’s problem within a simplified 2-body framework, 3D histograms are generated representing the frequency of occurrence of the interplanetary trajectories. These histograms illustrate key launch windows where low-energy
transfers between Earth and other planetary bodies, including Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn exist. The results are compiled into a Solar System roadmap covering the departure dates ranging from 2019 to 2023, highlighting launch
opportunities and favourable energy conditions for both single-destination and multi-target missions. This roadmap allows different trajectory options for deep space exploration to be efficiently compared and emphasises the importance
of timing in maximising mission flexibility and minimising propulsion requirements. Distinct clusters of low-energy launch windows are identified as occurring in mid-2020 and 2022 indicating mission opportunities that are resilient to changes in launch date. Additionally, the inclusion of flyby trajectories allows consideration of designing extended missions with efficient fuel consumption. The insights gained from analysis of these possible trajectories could inform development of propulsion, radiation shielding, and telecommunications systems tailored to the needs of deep-space missions, particularly for small spacecraft.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | 75th International Astronautical Congress 2024 |
| Place of Publication | Paris |
| Publisher | International Astronautical Federation, IAF |
| Pages | 1507-1516 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Volume | 3 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9798331312169 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2025 |
| Event | 31st IAA Symposium on Small Satellite Missions held at the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2024) - Milan, Italy Duration: 14 Oct 2024 → 18 Oct 2024 |
Conference
| Conference | 31st IAA Symposium on Small Satellite Missions held at the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2024) |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Italy |
| City | Milan |
| Period | 14/10/24 → 18/10/24 |
