| Autor: |
Pierpaolo Pergola, K. Geurts, Mariano Andrenucci, C. Casaregola, L. Biagioni |
| Jazyk: |
angličtina |
| Rok vydání: |
2007 |
| Předmět: |
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| Popis: |
The recent successful conclusion of the SMART-1 Moon mission based on an Electric Propulsion system has generated considerable interest in the possibility of more efficient access to the Moon by advanced spacecraft with a larger payload ratio. In this context a high performance mission architecture is being studied by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), for which Alta was assigned responsibility for the definition of an Electric Propulsion orbital transfer stage, coordinating a team of Italian industrial and academic institutions. The paper presents results from phase 1 of this study and describes the most relevant mission aspects so far addressed with particular emphasis on trajectory definition and optimization. Based on a launch by the Vega national launcher, an optimized low-thrust orbit transfer strategy is shown to be capable of delivering a significant payload in Moon orbit, with mission flexibility and agility characteristics which could not be achieved by a conventional fully chemical transfer. Several options are explored, identifying technologies that are presently available and that could already allow for this type of mission to be successfully implemented. The basic transfer strategy is an outward spiralling trajectory from a near equatorial low Earth orbit. In the first phase in-plane thrust is applied to obtain a quick escape from the radiation belts. A second phase with an in-plane and out-of-plane component of the thrust along the direction of relative inclination between the orbital plane and the Moon’s plane in a geocentric frame is applied. In the final phase a thrust steering law based on the minimization of a suitable defined residual is implemented. Different kind of perturbations are included in the simulation to obtain a more realistic model and no time constraints are considered. |
| Databáze: |
OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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