Tethered Planetary Capture Maneuvers

A new concept for the application of space tethers in planetary exploration and payload transfer is presented. We propose the deployment of a payload on a spinning tether in a hyperbolic orbit to provide it with a sufficient velocity change so that it is captured in an elliptical orbit at the destination planet. This concept of using tethers for planetary capture is investigated by conducting numerical simulations of a simplified tether system. The tether mass required to prevent rupture of the tether is optimized using numerical and iterative techniques for each of the major planets in the solar system. It is demonstrated that significant mass savings can be achieved when compared to the requirements for chemical propulsion. Finally, it is shown that controlling the tether length during the maneuver can be used to correct errors in the system trajectory for both spinning and nonspinning capture cases.