Low selenocentric orbits stability analysis
Authors: Du Chongrui, Starinova O.L.
Published in issue: #10(106)/2020
DOI: 10.18698/2308-6033-2020-10-2023
Category: Aviation and Rocket-Space Engineering | Chapter: Aircraft Dynamics, Ballistics, Motion Control
The tasks of studying the Moon require long-term functioning space systems. Most of the low selenocentric orbits are known to be unstable, which requires a propellant to maintain the orbital structure. For these orbits, the main disturbing factors are the off-center gravitational field of the Moon and the gravity of the Earth and the Sun. This paper analyzes the stability of low selenocentric orbits according to passive motion modeling and takes into account these main disturbing factors. We put forward a criterion for determining the stability of the orbit and used it to analyze the circular orbit of the Moon at an altitude of 100 kilometers. According to different initial data and different dates, we obtained ranges of the Moon’s orbits with good stability. At the same time, we analyzed the rate of change in the longitude of the ascending node, and found a stable low lunar orbit which can operate for a long time.
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