Ballistic capture

Ballistic capture is a low energy method for a spacecraft to achieve an orbit around a distant planet or moon with no fuel required to go into orbit. In the ideal case, the transfer is ballistic after launch. In the traditional alternative to ballistic capture, spacecraft would either use a Hohmann transfer orbit or Oberth effect, which requires the spacecraft to burn fuel in order to slow down at the target. A requirement for the spacecraft to carry fuel adds to its cost and complexity.

Advantages

Ballistic capture is predicted to be: • safer, as there is no time-critical orbit insertion burn, • launchable at almost any time, rather than having to wait for a narrow launch window, • more fuel efficient for some missions. ) between Earth, Lagrange point #1, and Moon ==Low-energy transfer==

Low-energy transfer

Trajectories that use ballistic capture are also known as a Low energy transfer (LET). More precisely, the terminology ballistic capture transfer (BCT) is used. They are low energy because they use no delta-V for capture. However, a low energy transfer need not be a ballistic capture transfer. The term ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) is also sometimes used. The region about a target body where ballistic capture occurs is called a weak stability boundary. It can be performed anytime, not only once per 26 months as in other maneuvers and does not involve dangerous and expensive (fuel cost) braking. But it takes up to one year, instead of nine months for a Hohmann transfer. ==Missions using ballistic capture==

Missions using ballistic capture

The following missions have used ballistic capture transfers, (EBCT – Exterior ballistic capture transfer, IBCT – Interior ballistic capture transfer): == See also ==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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