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A procedure for the solution of Lambert's orbital boundary-value problem

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Abstract

A procedure is described that provides a universal solution for Lambert's problem. Based on the approach of Lancaster and his colleagues, the procedure uses Halley's cubic iteration process to evaluate the unknown parameter, x, at the heart of the approach, initial estimates for x being selected so that three iterations of the process always suffice to yield an accurate value. The overall procedure has been implemented via three Fortran-77 subroutines, listings of which are appended to the paper, and the way in which the subroutines have been tested is outlined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Aerospace Establishment, Farnborough, Hants, England

    R. H. Gooding

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  1. R. H. Gooding
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Gooding, R.H. A procedure for the solution of Lambert's orbital boundary-value problem. Celestial Mech Dyn Astr 48, 145–165 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00049511

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00049511

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