Weakly Stable Orbit

Author: Tianjiang Shuo

Website: https://cislunarspace.cn

Definition

An orbit near a libration point whose dynamical system has at least one positive characteristic exponent, causing initial errors to grow exponentially over time. Halo orbits and quasi-periodic orbits near L2 belong to this category; initial insertion errors diverge rapidly, requiring the orbit-keeping system to activate shortly after insertion. In contrast, strongly stable orbits such as low Earth orbits have all-negative characteristic exponents.

Application Value

An orbit near a libration point whose dynamical system has at least one positive characteristic exponent, causing initial errors to grow exponentially over time. Halo orbits and quasi-periodic orbits near L2 belong to this category; initial insertion errors diverge rapidly, requiring the orbit-keeping system to activate shortly after insertion. In contrast, strongly stable orbits such as low Earth orbits have all-negative characteristic exponents.

Related Concepts

• Bivariate Gaussian Distribution
• Midcourse Impulse
• Zero-Thrust Reference Trajectory
• Co-state Variables

References

• 钱霙婧等, 2013, 宇航学报