A Maneuver of Escape from the Vicinity of a Collinear Libration Point Using Light Pressure Forces

Abstract

The orbital motion of a spacecraft with a solar sail in the vicinity of the Sun–Earth collinear libration point is studied. The study is carried out within the Hill approximation of the circular restricted three-body problem. The collinear libration point is unstable, but instability can be a positive factor in the tasks of maneuvering in interplanetary space. This is because a small change in velocity near an unstable libration point can lead to a significant change in orbital motion. This property can be used in the development of projects to counteract the comet–asteroid hazard. A scheme for constructing the trajectories of interception of a spacecraft with a potentially hazardous object is proposed. One of the stages of this scheme, an optimal escape from the vicinity of the libration point using light pressure forces, is considered. The results of numerical simulations are presented.