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Sun–Venus CR3BP, part 1: periodic orbit generation, stability, and mission investigation

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Abstract

Venus is Earth’s closest neighbor, hosting a similar size, density, and location in the Solar System. Due to these similarities, Venus has been suggested as a premier location for particular mission sets to include: near-Venus communications and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT); planetary science; heliophysics; space weather monitoring; and planetary defense. This paper, for the first time in literature, presents 37 unique planar periodic orbits discovered in the Sun–Venus system that may be used for such missions. The Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CR3BP) is the primary dynamical model utilized to generate all periodic orbits in the Sun–Venus system. The discovered orbits are grouped into four categories based on their shape: Near-Venus periodic orbits, Sun–Venus touring periodic orbits, Sun–Venus touring periodic orbits featuring near-Sun flybys, and Sun–Venus touring periodic orbits featuring near-Mercury flybys. Each orbit is discussed in terms of its respective Jacobi constant and stability within the context of the CR3BP. The stability of the orbits provides a preliminary analysis of station-keeping costs related to propellant expenditure, thereby determining the feasibility of implementing these trajectories. Specifically, this research shows that most of the identified orbits possess stability indices below 2, suggesting that minimal propellant is necessary for station-keeping maneuvers to sustain the preferred trajectory. For all orbits, specific initial position and velocity states conditions are provided, accompanied by recommendations for their potential mission applications. This research aims to advance ongoing astrodynamics research by filling a catalog hole and providing a Sun–Venus CR3BP orbit baseline.

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Data availability

The datasets generated for the current study are available following the submission and approval of a formal institutional request to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT).

Notes

  1. There are an infinite number of possible trajectories within the CR3BP. The term “discovered” refers to the generation of a subset of possible orbits within the CR3BP that have not been previously published.

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  1. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, 3775 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA

    Adam P. Wilmer & Marcus J. Holzinger

  2. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Air Force Institute of Technology, 2950 Hobson Way, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, 45433, USA

    Robert A. Bettinger & Jacob A. Dahlke

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Wilmer, A.P., Bettinger, R.A., Holzinger, M.J. et al. Sun–Venus CR3BP, part 1: periodic orbit generation, stability, and mission investigation. Arch Appl Mech 94, 921–941 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00419-024-02556-y

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