Midcourse correction of Earth–Moon distant retrograde orbit transfer trajectories based on high-order state transition tensors

Midcourse correction design is key to space transfers in the cislunar space. Autonomous guidance has garnered significant attention for its promise to decrease the dependence on ground control systems. This study addresses the problem of midcourse corrections for Earth–Moon transfer orbits based on high-order state transition tensors (STTs). The scenarios considered are direct Earth–Moon transfers and low-energy transfers to lunar distant retrograde orbits (DROs), where the latter involve weak stability boundary (WSB) and lunar gravity assist (LGA) techniques. Semi-analytical formulas are provided for computing the trajectory correction maneuvers (TCMs) using high-order STTs derived using the differential algebraic method. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Compared with existing explicit guidance algorithms, the STT-based approach is much cheaper computationally and features fewer final position errors. These results are promising for fast and efficient orbital autonomous correction guidance approaches in the cislunar space.