Paper detail

Fast 2-impulse non-Keplerian orbit-transfer using the Theory of Functional Connections

This study applies a new approach, the Theory of Functional Connections (TFC), to solve the two-point boundary-value problem (TPBVP) in non-Keplerian orbit transfer. The perturbations considered are drag, solar radiation pressure, higher-order gravitational potential harmonic terms, and multiple bodies. The proposed approach is applied to Earth-to-Moon transfers, and obtains exact boundary condition satisfaction and with very fast convergence. Thanks to this highly efficient approach, perturbed pork-chop plots of Earth-to-Moon transfers are generated, and individual analyses on the transfers' parameters are easily done at low computational costs. The minimum fuel analysis is provided in terms of the time of flight, thrust application points, and relative geometry of the Moon and Sun. The transfer costs obtained are in agreement with the literature's best solutions, and in some cases are even slightly better.