Tethered slingshot maneuver in the three-dimensional space

Abstract

The Tethered Slingshot maneuver (TSSM) is an alternative solution to maneuver a spacecraft in space, which is based in the use of cables. A space tether usually consists in two fixed objects at the end of a cable. In this work, it will be considered a cable anchored in a celestial body, which can be a planet, a moon or an asteroid and, at the other end, a spacecraft. The cable is considered to be thin, rigid, inextensible and with negligible mass. The purpose of the maneuver is to change the energy and/or inclination of the spacecraft using a rotation around a celestial body made by a tether attached to it. The energy gain obtained by the Tethered Slingshot Maneuver will be analyzed. The rotation made in the spacecraft makes significant modifications in the trajectory of the spacecraft when compared to maneuvers using only gravity, in particular when the bodies are small. The maneuver is analyzed in the three-dimensional space. The solutions were presented for two different asteroid systems and the results were made and analyzed for different variables of the system.