Selecting the optimum control of a spacecraft with the low-thrust engine fulfilling transport to the inconvertible point L1 of Earth-Moon system

This article discusses the problem of optimizing the motion of a spacecraft with an electric propulsion system to the libration point L1 of the Earth-Moon system. The barycentric controlled motion of the spacecraft is described in the framework of a circular bounded three-body problem. They obtain optimal laws of thrust direction control by the necessary optimality conditions of the Pontryagin›s maximum principle. Besides, the analysis of the dependence of the duration of the flight on the initial angular position of the spacecraft relative to the moon, allowing to choose the optimal date and time of the start.