Initial Error Dispersion and Midcourse Correction Maneuver Analysis of the Lunar Orbiter

The preliminary error analysis is performed to design the midcourse correction (MCC) maneuver of the lunar orbiter. During the trans-lunar trajectory, the lunar orbiter will perform several MCC maneuvers using the on-board propulsion system. The objectives of these maneuvers are to remove the deviation from the nominal trajectory by the injection error of the launch vehicle and to achieve the high accuracy for the lunar orbit insertion (LOI). To design the MCC maneuver, it is required to analyze the dispersion of the trans-lunar injection (TLI) error from the launch vehicle. In addition, the MCC maneuver epoch is also considered to design the MCC maneuver, which is an essential factor to analyze the MCC maneuver. To investigate the effects of the TLI uncertainty and the MCC maneuver epoch on the MCC maneuver, the Monte Carlo simulation is performed for the statistical analysis. The numerical simulation results and analysis provide a guideline to design the trans-lunar trajectory using the MCC maneuver in the presence of various error sources in the preliminary design phase.