An analytical description of three-dimensional heliocentric solar sail orbits

Abstract

This paper introduces a simple analytical approximation to three-dimensional heliocentric solar sail orbits where the only forces considered are solar gravity and solar radiation. The approximation is based upon the previously studied hodograph transformation and provides a description of the inclination, longitude of ascending node and true latitude for a specific set of initial conditions. It is shown that the rotational symmetry of a heliocentric orbit allows this specific solution to be mapped onto a solution with arbitrary initial conditions. The approximation is then compared to the numerical results for a solar sail on an Earth escape trajectory with an area to mass ratio up to twice as high as current technology allows.