A surface constraint approach for solar sail trajectories.

A surface geometric constraint approach is used in designing the trajectories of a solar sail. We solve the solar sail equation of motion by obtaining a generalized Laplace-Runge-Lenz (LRL) vector with the assumption that the cone angle is constant throughout the mission. A family of trajectory equation solutions can then be specified by defining a constraint equation that relates the radial velocity to the polar velocity of the spacecraft. The method is used to generate and analyze trajectories that are constrained on cylindrical surfaces and those that are displaced from the ecliptic plane. We apply our proposed approach to optimizing the flight time of a mission towards an asteroid with a highly inclined orbit. Lastly, we demonstrate the versatility of the approach by reproducing previous results on displaced circular orbits and orbits constrained on cylinders derived using other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]