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Full-Text Articles in Astrodynamics
Compact Cislunar Orbital Representation For Efficient Tracking In Cislunar Space, Mauro Palomo
Compact Cislunar Orbital Representation For Efficient Tracking In Cislunar Space, Mauro Palomo
Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses
Expanding lunar missions require efficient, interoperable orbital tracking where existing methods fail to scale. Two-Line Elements (TLEs) lack applicability beyond geocentric regimes, while high-accuracy Orbit Ephemeris Messages (OEMs) require excessive data volumes and bandwidth to communicate. To support increased lunar traffic, this paper proposes the Compact Cislunar Orbital Representation (CCOR), providing a novel framework that strikes a balance between TLE level efficiency and OEM-level fidelity, ensuring multi-actor communication for missions in the cislunar region. By evaluating the framework across six diverse cislunar trajectories, this study demonstrates the CCOR’s robustness and ability to compress thousands of OEM state vectors into a …
Coupled Dynamics In The Cislunar Region And Spacecraft Attitude Prediction In A Higher-Fidelity Model, Annika Anderson
Coupled Dynamics In The Cislunar Region And Spacecraft Attitude Prediction In A Higher-Fidelity Model, Annika Anderson
Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses
The cislunar region of space is a complex, multi-body dynamical environment that cannot be modeled trivially. Traditional point-mass assumptions made to simplify the mission design process may be insufficient for accurately predicting spacecraft motion in environments where orbit-attitude coupling is non-negligible. One of the most famous of such models is the circular restricted three-body problem. This thesis advances the state of the art in astrodynamics by modeling all bodies in the problem as rigid bodies, allowing for spacecraft orientation to be propagated and considered. Two models are under consideration—the circular restricted full three-body problem (CRF3BP) and a full higher-fidelity ephemeris …
A Low-Complexity Algorithm For Trajectory Generation In The Three-Body Problem, Brian P. Baker-Mcevilly
A Low-Complexity Algorithm For Trajectory Generation In The Three-Body Problem, Brian P. Baker-Mcevilly
Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses
The Cislunar realm holds intrinsic value for scientific, commercial, and military applications as numerous entities have begun to invest resources into the expansion and utilization of the region. As the Cislunar region continues to grow, there is an escalating need for efficient methods of trajectory generation in this multi-body dynamical system for computationally limited systems. Thus, a low-complexity classical algorithm is proposed to achieve accurate orbital trajectories in the three-body problem. The proposed algorithm solves a polynomial interpolation problem, formulated using state measurements, through the unique decomposition of a dense system into sparse matrices. Several relevant Cislunar trajectories are simulated …
Heuristic Design Of Cislunar Space Situational Awareness Architectures, Jacob A. Dahlke
Heuristic Design Of Cislunar Space Situational Awareness Architectures, Jacob A. Dahlke
Theses and Dissertations
The growing interest in the cislunar domain, which encompasses geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), the Moon, and the region where Earth-Moon gravitational effects are the primary influence, necessitates the development of tools to ensure safe and successful exploration. Space situational awareness (SSA) involves monitoring an environment to detect, track, identify, and catalog space objects. While most SSA experience comes from near-Earth operations, expanding into the cislunar domain presents significant challenges due to its vast expanse—greater than 10 times the radius of GEO—and the unique dynamics governed by the Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CR3BP) influenced by both Earth and Moon gravitational forces. …
Positioning, Navigation, And Timing (Pnt) Study For Select Multibody Environments, Kaitlin R. Roberts
Positioning, Navigation, And Timing (Pnt) Study For Select Multibody Environments, Kaitlin R. Roberts
Theses and Dissertations
In the renewed 21st-century race to the Moon, the demand for heightened mission capabilities in the cislunar region, lunar surface, and beyond is imperative. With an escalating number and complexity of lunar missions, persistent positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities are becoming paramount. This thesis presents innovative lunar PNT architectures designed to provide continuous coverage of the lunar South Pole, near-continuous coverage of the entire lunar surface, and coverage of the Earth-Moon Corridor. As space faring countries advance from lunar exploration to Mars, similar assets are essential for astronaut exploration in this extraterrestrial environment. Additionally, this thesis introduces and meticulously …
Evaluating Butterfly Orbits In The Earth-Moon Corridor For Ssa, Lunar Surface Surveillance, And Cislunar Disposal, Contessa G. Norris
Evaluating Butterfly Orbits In The Earth-Moon Corridor For Ssa, Lunar Surface Surveillance, And Cislunar Disposal, Contessa G. Norris
Theses and Dissertations
The increased space activity in the region of cislunar space has created a high demand to identify, track, and monitor Resident Space Objects (RSOs) and provide cislunar disposal routes for RSOs. This research investigates the practicality of various satellite maneuvers between orbits chosen from the butterfly and dragonfly orbit families. Several simulated trajectories are compared to show the feasibility of performing a maneuver in cislunar and lunar space between the L1 and L2 Lagrange points. Additionally, lunar surface space situational awareness (SSA) capabilities of northern and southern butterfly (BN/BS) orbits were evaluated and compared to provide the most favorable dynamic …