Time versus energy in the averaged optimal coplanar kepler transfer towards circular orbits

Abstract

This article makes a study of the averaged optimal coplanar transfer towards circular orbits. Our objective is to compare this problem when the cost minimized is transfer time to the same problem when the cost minimized is energy consumption. While the minimum energy case leads to the analysis of a 2D-Riemannian metric using the standard tools of Riemannian geometry, the minimum time case is associated with a Finsler metric which is not smooth. Nevertheless a qualitative analysis of the geodesic flow is given in this article to describe the optimal transfers of the time minimal case.