FURI | Summer 2021

Study of Direct, Jupiter Insertion Orbits from Space Elevators

Space elevators have the potential to launch thousands of interplanetary missions within the next 5 decades. The extensive amount of opportunities to explore the solar system allows for a large range of scientific experimentation along with increased interplanetary colonization opportunities. There has been limited research published about the potential transfers so they will be tested in a high-fidelity professional-grade orbital simulator. In order to verify the legitimacy of space elevators, this project has studied the possible orbits from Earth to Jupiter. The orbital parameters considered were the time of flight, the closest approach to Jupiter (Perijove), the velocity at perijove.