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Feasibility analysis of the low-thrust trajectory for the Moon-enabled Sun occultation mission
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Feasibility analysis of the low-thrust trajectory for the Moon-enabled Sun occultation mission

Alesia Herasimenka, Nicola Baresi, Lucie Green and Huw Morgan
Program and Proceedings of 30th ISSFD
30th International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics (ISSFD) (Toulouse, 01/06/2026–05/06/2026)
12/02/2026

Abstract

Aerospace Engineering Moon - Earth Trajectories Optimization Space Exploration

This paper analyses the feasibility of a Moon-enabled Sun occultation mission aimed at observing the solar corona. Since the corona is normally obscured by the brightness of the Sun, the proposed concept consists of positioning a spacecraft behind the Moon so that the incident light from the solar disk is blocked. Low-thrust propulsion is considered to assess its suitability for this type of mission. The mission geometry includes lunar flybys to modify the spacecraft orbit, allowing it to pass through prescribed occultation zones. A multi-arc approach is employed to optimize the complete trajectory while accounting for the relevant mission constraints.

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