FIELD: astronautics.
SUBSTANCE: invention relates to transportation of payloads during spacecraft (SC) flights, for example, from near-moon to near-earth orbital station. Method involves docking of the spacecraft with an upper-stage rocket and an impulse with the help of an upper-stage rocket pulse for flight from a circumlunar orbit to the Earth along a transit trajectory with height of perigee equal to height of the final near-earth orbit. In the perigee, a brake pulse is performed to transfer the spacecraft to a transient elliptical orbit and the spacecraft is undocked from the upper-stage rocket. Latter is docked with another upper-stage rocket, previously launched to this transition orbit. By means of this upper-stage rocket in perigee there performed is final brake pulse, transferring SC to final near-earth orbit (station orbit).
EFFECT: reduced fuel consumption for flight of spacecraft from circumlunar to near-earth orbit, which allows, in particular, to reduce required amount of upper-stage rockets in transport system.
1 cl, 3 dwg
