Departure Velocity

Author: Tianjiang Shuo

Website: https://cislunarspace.cn

Definition

The speed of a spacecraft at departure from the lunar surface. Because geometric variations across the Moon's surface negligibly affect potential energy, departure velocity depends almost entirely on the Jacobi constant of the target orbit. It is close to the lunar escape velocity (~2.4 km/s), varying by approximately 10 m/s across a halo orbit family.

Application Value

When departing from the lunar surface, departure velocity primarily depends on the Jacobi constant of the target orbit, close to the lunar escape velocity of approximately 2.4 km/s. Orbit designers determine the precise departure velocity based on target orbit characteristics.

References

  • Alessi 等 - 2009 - Leaving the moon by means of invariant manifolds of libration point orbits
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Contributors: ouyangjiahong, Ou Yang Jiahong