METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING SPACECRAFT INTERORBITAL MANEUVER IN SPACE PLASMA MEDIUM Russian patent published in 2024 - IPC B64G1/24 

FIELD: cosmonautics.

SUBSTANCE: inventions relate to methods and means of performing interorbital maneuvers of spacecraft using finely dispersed substance, for example, lunar regolith ("lunar dust"). Dust is removed from the region of the orbit of the Moon into a parabolic or hyperbolic transfer orbit having common points with the orbit of the spacecraft, for example, at perigee. Extended plume is formed in the area sufficiently distant from perigee by means of electrification and release of dust particles. Along the axis of the plume, a radial electric field is created by means of an extended charged line, which compresses the plume to a small (approx. 1–2 m) of diameter. Line together with the plume is oriented in the direction corresponding to the direction of relative velocity of the spacecraft and the plume at perigee. Plume forming device is separated from the line and interaction with spacecraft is carried out, as a result of which the spacecraft receives mechanical impulse from the plume, which is sufficient for transfer of spacecraft to the specified orbit.

EFFECT: increased length and weight of the plume for spacecraft maneuvering, provision of its optimum transverse dimensions and density, as well as broader capabilities of controlling the plume orientation before interaction with the spacecraft.

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