Aeroassist Orbital Transfer

Characteristics of the aeroassist maneuver between two circular, coplanar Earth orbits.

PDF document and MATLAB script which can be used to estimate the propulsive delta-v required for aeroassisted coplanar orbital transfer from a high Earth orbit (HEO) to a lower Earth orbit (LEO). Both the initial and final orbits are assumed to be circular. The equations used in this algorithm are described in “Fuel-Optimal Trajectories for Aeroassisted Coplanar Orbital Transfer Problem”, IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Vol. 26, No. 2, March 1990, pg. 374-380. Another excellent technical discussion can be found in “Minimum-Fuel Aeroassisted Coplanar Orbit Transfer Using Lift-Modulation”, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, Vol. 8, No. 1, Jan.-Feb. 1985.