Hohmann transfer orbit

A two-impulse elliptical orbit that transfers a spacecraft between coplanar circular orbits. Its burns occur at the transfer ellipse’s closest and farthest points.

Vis-viva equation: An equation relating an orbiting body's speed, distance from the focus, and orbital energy. It calculates spacecraft speeds at both burns from the transfer ellipse's geometry.
Kepler's laws of planetary motion: Three laws describing how planets orbit the Sun, including the relationship between orbital period and size. They provide the orbital framework for estimating transfer time and motion.
Interplanetary spaceflight: Spaceflight between planets or other bodies in a planetary system. A Hohmann transfer can approximate the cruise path between planetary orbits.
Bi-elliptic transfer: A three-impulse orbital maneuver that uses an intermediate orbit with a very high apoapsis. It can require less total delta-v than a Hohmann transfer for sufficiently large radius changes.
Launch window: A time period when launch conditions permit a mission to meet its trajectory and destination constraints. Planetary Hohmann transfers require suitable alignment at departure and arrival.
Orbital energy: The conserved mechanical energy per unit mass of an object moving under gravity. The first burn raises orbital energy; the second matches the target orbit's energy.
Circular orbit: An orbit with constant distance from its central body. The transfer begins and ends in circular orbits.
Earth–Mars transfer: A trajectory transferring a spacecraft from Earth's orbit to an encounter with Mars. It is a canonical interplanetary use of Hohmann-style transfer geometry.
Direct ascent: A trajectory that reaches a destination without first entering an intermediate parking orbit. It avoids the staged circular-orbit transfer assumed by the Hohmann maneuver.
Synodic period: The interval between successive alignments of two orbiting bodies as seen from a third body. It sets how long missions may wait between favorable planetary transfer opportunities.

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