QUASI-SATELLITE ORBIT TRANSFERS VIA MULTI-REVOLUTIONAL PERIODIC ORBITS

This paper explores the application of multi-revolutional periodic orbits to transfer between single-revolutional quasi-satellite orbits around the Martian moon Phobos. Multi-revolutional periodic orbits are retrograde trajectories that repeat after multiple revolutions around Phobos. At first, we generate them by conventional predictor-corrector scheme and bifurcation analysis and find many candidate options for trajectory design analyses. Next, we explore transfer solutions between different single-revolutional periodic quasi-satellite orbits. We find that, if we choose appropriate multi-revolutional periodic orbits, we can reduce the transfer time and Delta V, as well as increase the robustness of the transfers from a contingency analysis standpoint.