Hohmann Transfer Orbit

Aerospace Engineering

How It Works

A Hohmann transfer is a propellant-optimal two-impulse orbital maneuver used to transfer a spacecraft between two coplanar circular orbits. The spacecraft executes a first prograde velocity increment (Δv₁) at periapsis to enter an elliptical transfer orbit having its apoapsis at the radius of the outer target orbit. Upon arrival at apoapsis, a second prograde impulse (Δv₂) circularizes the orbit at the outer radius.

Governing Equation
Δv₁ = √(μ/r₁) · (√(2r₂ / (r₁ + r₂)) - 1) , Δv₂ = √(μ/r₂) · (1 - √(2r₁ / (r₁ + r₂)))