Studying the energy variation in the powered Swing-By in the Sun-Mercury system

Abstract

A maneuver where a spacecraft passes close to Mercury and uses the gravity of this body combined with an impulse applied at the periapsis, with different magnitudes and directions, is presented. The main objective of this maneuver is the fuel economy in space missions. Using this maneuver, it is possible to insert the spacecraft into an orbit captured around the Sun or Mercury. Trajectories escaping the Solar System are also obtained and mapped. Maps of the spacecraft energy variation relative to the Sun and the types of orbits resulting from the maneuver are presented, based in numerical integrations. The results show that applying the impulse out of the direction of motion can optimize the maneuver due to the effect of the combination of the impulse and the gravity.