An Approach to the Design of Low Energy Interplanetary Transfers Exploiting Invariant Manifolds of the Restricted Three-Body Problem

In this paper a general algorithm for the design of low-energy interplanetary transfers, exploiting invariant manifolds of the periodic orbits around libration points, will be presented. The algorithm looks for the best intersection between invariant manifolds associated to the departure and arrival Sun-Planet-Spacecraft systems. A merit function is associated to the Poincare sections of the two manifolds, and, after a preliminary systematic search necessary to find a first guess solution, a SQP algorithm is used to optimize the transfer, merging together dynamical system theory and optimization techniques. If an optimal intersection cannot be found, invariant manifolds are linked by solving a Lambert's problem and the resulting trajectory is then optimized. In order to have a full 3D representation of the transfer, the algorithm has been integrated with an analytical ephemeris model. Some interplanetary trajectories are presented, showing the effectiveness of the proposed approach