An international team of scientists published research in April 2026 in the journal Astrodynamics on a fuel-saving Earth-to-Moon transfer trajectory

An international team of scientists published research in April 2026 in the journal Astrodynamics on a fuel-saving Earth-to-Moon transfer trajectory

¨     An international team of scientists published research in April 2026 in the journal Astrodynamics on a fuel-saving Earth-to-Moon transfer trajectory.

¨     The study involved researchers from the University of São Paulo (Brazil) and the University of Coimbra (Portugal).

¨     The lead author was Alan Kardec de Almeida Junior, and the co-author was Vítor Martins de Oliveira.

¨     Earth-to-Moon travel uses transfer trajectories based on orbital mechanics and gravitational fields.

¨     Low delta-v (Δv) trajectories require less fuel for spacecraft operations.

¨     The newly identified route reduces fuel consumption by at least 58.8 m/s of delta-v compared to previous optimal paths.

¨     The trajectory leverages the gravitational influences of both Earth and the Moon.

¨     It is based on pathways associated with the Interplanetary Transport Network.

¨     The route passes through the far side of the Moon and utilizes regions around the Earth–Moon L1 Lagrange point.

¨     Such low-energy transfer routes have been used in past missions, including Japan’s Hiten probe (1991) and NASA’s GRAIL mission.

¨     Researchers used advanced computer modeling and functional analysis methods to simulate around 30 million trajectories.

¨     Out of these, 280,000 cases were studied in detail.

¨     The proposed route maintains continuous communication with Earth.

¨     It avoids signal blackouts that occur when spacecraft pass behind the Moon.

¨     The current model considers only the gravitational forces of Earth and the Moon.