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Low-Thrust Transfers to Southern \(L_2\) Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbits Facilitated by Invariant Manifolds

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Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the manifolds of three Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbits (NRHOs) and optimal low-thrust transfer trajectories using a high-fidelity dynamical model. Time- and fuel-optimal low-thrust transfers to (and from) these NRHOs are generated leveraging their ‘invariant’ manifolds, which serve as long terminal coast arcs. Analyses are performed to identify suitable manifold entry/exit conditions based on inclination and minimum distance from the Earth. The relative merits of the stable/unstable manifolds are studied with regard to time- and fuel-optimality criteria, for a set of representative low-thrust family of transfers.

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Acknowledgements

This work was completed at Texas A&M University. A part of this work was done as a private venture and not in the author’s capacity as an employee of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Texas A&M University, 400 Bizzell St, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Sandeep K. Singh & John L. Junkins

  2. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA

    Brian D. Anderson

  3. Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

    Ehsan Taheri

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  1. Sandeep K. Singh
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  4. John L. Junkins
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Correspondence to Sandeep K. Singh.

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Communicated by Mauro Pontani.

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A preliminary version of this paper was presented as AAS 20-565 at the 2020 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Virtual Lake Tahoe Conference.

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Singh, S.K., Anderson, B.D., Taheri, E. et al. Low-Thrust Transfers to Southern \(L_2\) Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbits Facilitated by Invariant Manifolds. J Optim Theory Appl 191, 517–544 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10957-021-01898-9

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