Multiple Flybys of Venus Co-orbital Asteroids using Resonant Orbits and Gravity Assist Maneuvers

Flyby schemes for asteroids in orbital resonance with Venus are considered. The possibility of organizing multiple approaches of a spacecraft to such asteroids while moving along heliocentric orbits resonant with the orbit of Venus in a 1 : 1 ratio is demonstrated. Of the twenty known co-orbital asteroids, it was possible to flyby ten that are in short-term resonance orbits and periodically approach Venus. To circumvent the limitation associated with the complexity of momentum-free capture of a spacecraft into a permanent orbital resonance with a planet, combined schemes have been proposed. In these schemes, the spacecraft, with each approach to Venus, transitions between different resonant orbits, which allows it to alternate flybys of a co-orbital asteroid with approaches to near-Earth asteroids, including potentially hazardous ones. This approach ensures effective control of the spacecraft’s trajectory through gravity assist maneuvers and also increases the scientific significance of the mission as a whole.