NASA Simulates 1,000-Mile Gateway Maneuvers for Lunar Traffic Management
Updated
Updated · Yahoo · Aug 25
NASA Simulates 1,000-Mile Gateway Maneuvers for Lunar Traffic Management
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo · Aug 25
Summary
Thousands of simulations led NASA and university researchers to propose a handful of new maneuvers for spacecraft queuing near the planned lunar Gateway, aiming to keep multiple vehicles safely loitering around the station.
The work targets expected lunar “rush hour,” when crews, cargo and equipment could arrive at the moon at the same time and need to hold position for days or weeks without wasting fuel.
Gateway traffic would ride the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit—an elongated path that swings within 1,000 miles of the moon’s north pole and about 40,000 miles past the south pole.
Researchers said the maneuvers must also absorb thruster problems and navigation errors, stacking spacecraft like “a string of pearls” as the queue grows.
NASA hopes Gateway will be operating within 20 years as an orbital hub supporting astronauts, cargo and science missions for a permanent lunar base.