Low thrust relative orbital transfer (original) (raw)

In orbital mechanics, low-thrust relative transfer is an orbital maneuver in which a chaser spacecraft covers a specific relative distance relative to the target spacecraft using continuous low-thrust system with specific impulse of the order of 4000-8000s. This is in contrast to conventional impulsive transfers in the orbit which uses thermal rocket engines to develop impulse of the order of 300-400s. Such type of transfer uses low-thrust propulsion systems such as electrically powered spacecraft propulsion and solar sail.