Optimization of Interplanetary Flights of Spacecraft with Low-Thrust Engines Taking into Account the Ellipticity and Noncoplanarity of Planetary Orbits

The problem of optimization of the interplanetary flight Earth–Mars–Earth is formulated with restrictions on the total duration of this mission and with taking the ellipticity and noncoplanarity of planetary orbits into account. An iteration scheme for solving the problem is developed, which is based on applying a sequence of flight models with increasing complexity. An approach to choosing the points of mating the planetocentric and heliocentric trajectory segments is suggested. The influence of the errors of method of the model on the results of optimization is estimated. Software tools are developed, and full computer start-to-finish simulation of the flight is carried out with graphic representation of the trajectory segments.