GALCIT Colloquium

Spacecraft technology is currently in the midst of significant advance, driven by the miniaturization of satellites, interest in on-orbit servicing, and demonstrated success in robotic exploration. Continued innovation in spacecraft technologies demands the design of trajectories for spacecraft that require fewer resources, possess longer lifetimes, and visit farther destinations. In addition, recent scientific progress has facilitated the discovery of an increasing number of celestial bodies, including asteroids, Kuiper belt objects, and star systems. Many techniques used for trajectory design are also useful in modeling natural celestial transport within these systems, providing further information about the formation and evolution of the universe.

This talk outlines recent contributions to spacecraft trajectory design through the application of techniques from dynamical systems theory. By actively leveraging dynamical structures such as periodic orbits, quasi-periodic orbits and manifolds, complex paths can be designed within cislunar and interplanetary space. As demonstrated during this talk, progress in the study of multi-body dynamical environments facilitates advances in both astrodynamics and celestial mechanics, while also supporting new and exciting missions for individual spacecraft and distributed systems.