A study of Earth-Mars interplanetary transfer using spaceports at the Halo orbits of Sun-Earth and Sun-Mars system
- Paper number
IAC-08.A5.3.7
- Author
Mr. Masaki Nakamiya, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Sokendai Univ.) / JAXA, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Makoto Yoshikawa, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Prof. Daniel Scheeres, University of Colorado at Boulder, United States
- Coauthor
Prof. Hiroshi Yamakawa , Kyoto University, Japan
- Year
2008
- Abstract
Earth - Mars interplanetary transfers using spaceports at the Halo orbits in the vicinity of Sun-Earth and Sun-Mars libration points in the restricted Hill three-body problem are analyzed. This application is motivated by future proposals to place “deep space ports” at the Earth and Mars L1 or L2 points. Constructing spaceports at the Sun-Earth and Sun-Mars Halo orbits can separate the space transportation system into three regions: the Earth escape transfer phase, the Mars capture transfer phase and the interplanetary transfer phase. This system could facilitate a round-trip space exploration using spaceports as relay points and leads to a reusable transportation system in the future.
In this study we utilize stable and unstable manifolds associated with Halo orbits for the escape and capture trajectories from/to Halo orbits1. For Earth-Mars interplanetary transfer, we discuss the ways of linking interplanetary transfer trajectories with the stable/unstable manifolds. As a result, we find that the required delta-V for Earth – Mars transfer from LEO to the orbit around Mars via Earth and Mars Halo orbits is almost the same as that of an Earth- Mars Hohmann transfer. Moreover, if spaceports are built on each Halo orbit in the vicinity of the Sun-Earth and Sun-Mars libration points, the propellant can be supplied to the spacecraft there, or payload can be transferred from interplanetary cargo ships to a space vehicle exclusively used at Mars. It follows that the propellant, which is carried with the payload by the interplanetary vehicle can be considerably reduced compared with a direct Hohmann transfer case.
Reference1. Nakamiya, M., Scheeres, D., Yamakawa, H., and Yoshikawa, M., “Three-Dimensional Analysis of Capture Trajectories to the Periodic Orbits of L1 and L2 Points,” accepted for publication in Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.A5.3.7.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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