Asteroid Institute has launched ADAM::Trajectory Optimizer, a new service for exploring transfers between any two solar system bodies. The public demo enables users to calculate and visualize transfer opportunities and propulsion requirements between planets, moons, asteroids, comets, spacecraft, and more. The service generates interactive porkchop plots to identify optimal launch windows and analyze the energy requirements, creates a 4D visualization of the transfer solutions, and provides detailed results in a variety of industry file formats. This service represents a significant advancement in making astrodynamics calculations accessible to the broader space community.

 

The service allows users to select departure and arrival bodies from multiple data sources including JPL’s Small Body Database (SBDB), ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC), NASA’s Horizons ephemeris service, and SPICE kernels. Once the arrival and departure bodies are selected, users define other search criteria including departure and arrival time windows, step size, and optional constraints on energy requirements and time of flight. The service then solves Lambert’s problem for the range of dates and bodies selected by the user. Lambert’s problem is a fundamental boundary value problem in astrodynamics that determines the orbit connecting two positions in space given a specific time of flight. Our implementation uses advanced numerical methods to solve this classical problem, enabling the calculation of thousands of potential transfer trajectories.

The results include comprehensive porkchop plots – contour maps that display the energy requirements (delta-v) for transfers as a function of departure and arrival dates, making it easy to identify optimal launch windows. Users will also receive an interactive 4D visualization of each solution, making it easy to watch and examine the spacecraft’s path relative to departure and arrival bodies. All of the solutions and body ephemerides are provided in multiple formats including CCSDS OEM used by space agencies and mission planners, which can be downloaded and used for further analysis.

 

ADAM::Trajectory Optimizer is built on the same open-source adam-core library that powers many of our other astrodynamics tools. This library incorporates sophisticated and performant algorithms for orbital mechanics calculations, including a robust Lambert solver and all of the plotting tools used for displaying results. The service runs on Google Cloud infrastructure (Google Kubernetes Engine, Google Cloud Storage) to provide users with fast, responsive results, and to eliminate the need for local specialized hardware and environments.

It’s important to note that the public demo is limited to ensure reasonable computation times and server resources. The current implementation is ideal for initial exploration of transfer scenarios. This demo does not capture all possible solutions or complex multi-body trajectories. For applications requiring more comprehensive analysis or custom scenarios, users can contact us for access to our full-scale trajectory optimization services.

The development of ADAM::Trajectory Optimizer demonstrates our commitment to democratizing access to advanced astrodynamics tools. By providing web-based access to trajectory design capabilities, we’re enabling a broader community of researchers, mission planners, and space enthusiasts to easily explore solar system mission concepts. This service complements our existing suite available on ADAM, including impact probability analysis and asteroid precovery, creating a new and evolving platform for space mission analysis.

Learn how to use ADAM::Trajectory Optimizer with our video tutorial. If you have questions about using the service or are interested in accessing our full-scale trajectory optimization services, please contact us.

The launch of ADAM::Trajectory Optimizer represents another milestone in our mission to make advanced astrodynamics capabilities accessible to the global space community. As we continue to develop and refine these tools, we’re building the foundation for more efficient and innovative approaches to solar system science and space mission planning.

 

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Alec Koumjian is the Head of Software Engineering, leading project and engineering management to develop a comprehensive suite of astronomy software services. With over a decade of experience in large-scale software engineering projects, he holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and computer science from Marlboro College, Vermont.

 

 

Asteroid Institute brings together scientists, researchers, and engineers to develop tools and technologies to understand, map, and navigate our solar system. A program of B612 Foundation, the Asteroid Institute leverages advances in computer science, instrumentation, and astronomy to find and track asteroids. Join our global community of supporters and make a donation today.