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Aerospace
Special Issues
Spacecraft Orbit Transfers
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Spacecraft Orbit Transfers

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Astronautics & Space Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 1725

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Zhenbo Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
Interests: optimal control; convex optimization; machine learning; guidance, navigation, and control; space systems; aerial vehicles; connected vehicles

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Orbit transfers are a type of maneuver used by spacecraft to transition from one orbit to another. Recent advances in propulsion technologies and computational intelligence have enabled more efficient, low-cost, autonomous orbit transfers for a variety of complex space missions. For example, new propulsion systems can achieve very high specific impulses while enabling very low thrust levels for more efficient fuel consumption and extended periods during orbit transfers. Meanwhile, the rapid development of machine learning and computational guidance, navigation, and control approaches has provided significant opportunities to enable novel orbit transfer concepts with higher levels of autonomy and robustness in uncertain and disturbing mission environments.

The Special Issue aims to address the broad topics and advances in spacecraft orbit transfers and welcomes research articles and review papers in areas including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Earth–orbit transfers;
  • Interplanetary trajectories;
  • Low-thrust orbit transfers;
  • Rendezvous and proximity operations;
  • Orbit transfers for on-orbit servicing;
  • Orbit transfers of small satellites;
  • Ballistic lunar transfers;
  • Gravity-assist maneuvers;
  • Aerocapture, aerobraking, and atmospheric entry;
  • Aero-gravity assist maneuvers;
  • Advanced guidance, navigation, and control for orbit transfers;
  • Advanced propulsion technologies for orbit transfers;
  • Machine learning techniques for orbit transfers;
  • Advanced trajectory optimization methods for orbit transfers;
  • Launch trajectories and orbit insertion;
  • Orbit transfers for spacecraft formation flying.

Dr. Zhenbo Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • orbit transfers
  • space propulsion
  • space trajectory
  • trajectory optimization
  • guidance, navigation, and control
  • interplanetary missions

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4142 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Variations in Lunar-Assisted GEO Transfer Capability for Southward Launch
by Su-Jin Choi and Hoonhee Lee
Aerospace 2024, 11(4), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11040321 - 19 Apr 2024
Viewed by 423
Abstract
The launch azimuth of the Naro Space Center is limited toward the south of the Korean peninsula, at 170 ± 10 degrees, suitable for the polar orbit, sun-synchronous orbit, and safety range issues. In this circumstance, one option to send a satellite into [...] Read more.
The launch azimuth of the Naro Space Center is limited toward the south of the Korean peninsula, at 170 ± 10 degrees, suitable for the polar orbit, sun-synchronous orbit, and safety range issues. In this circumstance, one option to send a satellite into GEO is to perform a dog-leg maneuver during ascent, thus forming a medium-inclination orbit under such a restrictive condition. However, this option requires an immense amount of energy for the dog-leg maneuver, as well as a plane change maneuver. The only remaining option is to raise the apogee to the Moon, utilizing lunar gravity to lower the inclination to near zero and then returning to the vicinity of the Earth at an altitude of 35,786 km without maneuver. In order to design lunar-assisted GEO transfer, all feasible paths are defined, but questions remain about how seasonal variations affect all these potential paths. Therefore, this study aims to design and analyze all available trajectories for the year 2031 using a high-fidelity dynamic model, root-finding algorithm, and well-arranged initial conditions, focusing on the impact of seasonal trends. The simulation results indicate that cislunar free-return trajectories generally require less ΔV compared to circumlunar free-return trajectories, and circumlunar trajectories are minimally affected by lunisolar effects due to their relatively short return time of flight. Conversely, cislunar trajectories show seasonal variations, so spring and fall seasons require up to 20 m/s less ΔV than summer and winter seasons due to the relatively long time of return duration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spacecraft Orbit Transfers)
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23 pages, 6020 KiB  
Article
A Pattern Search Method to Optimize Mars Exploration Trajectories
by Su-Jin Choi, Hongjae Kang, Keejoo Lee and Sejin Kwon
Aerospace 2023, 10(10), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10100827 - 22 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 865
Abstract
The Korean National Space Council recently released “Mars Exploration 2045” as part of its future strategic plan. The operations for a Mars explorer can be defined based on domestically available capabilities, such as ground operations, launch, in-space transport and deep space link. Accordingly, [...] Read more.
The Korean National Space Council recently released “Mars Exploration 2045” as part of its future strategic plan. The operations for a Mars explorer can be defined based on domestically available capabilities, such as ground operations, launch, in-space transport and deep space link. Accordingly, all of our exploration scenarios start from the Naro space center, and the pathway to Mars is optimized using an objective function that minimizes the required ∆V. In addition, the entire phase of Mars orbit insertion should remain in contact with our deep space antennas, a measure that is imposed as an operational constraint. In this study, a pattern search method is adopted, as it can handle a nonlinear problem without relying on the derivatives of the objective function, and optimal trajectories are generated on a daily basis for a 15-day launch period. The robustness of this direct search method is confirmed by consistently converged solutions showing, in particular, that the ascending departure requires slightly less ∆V than the descending departure on the order of 10 m/s. Subsequently, mass estimates are made for a Mars orbiter and a kick stage to determine if the desired ∆V is achievable with our eco-friendly in-space propulsion system when launched from our indigenous launch vehicle, KSLV-II. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spacecraft Orbit Transfers)
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