A torsion-based solution to the hyperbolic regime of the $$J_2$$-problem

Abstract

AbstractA popular intermediary in the theory of artificial satellites is obtained after the elimination of parallactic terms from the $$J_2$$ J 2 -problem Hamiltonian. The resulting quasi-Keplerian system is in turn converted into the Kepler problem by a torsion. When this reduction process is applied to unbounded orbits, the solution is made of Keplerian hyperbolae. For this last case, we show that the torsion-based solution provides an effective alternative to the Keplerian approximation customarily used in flyby computations. Also, we check that the extension of the torsion-based solution to higher orders of the oblateness coefficient yields the expected convergence of asymptotic solutions to the true orbit.