End-of-life disposal of spacecraft in highly elliptical orbits by means of luni-solar perturbations and Moon resonances

This paper presents a preliminary investigation of some possible strategies for the disposal of spacecraft on Highly Elliptical Orbits at the end-of-life. The effect of luni-solar perturbations is analysed through a simplified phase space model. This allows identifying the conditions for re-entry in the Earth's atmosphere. As a second strategy, Moon resonances are studied to increase the orbit perigee and transfer the spacecraft on weak capture orbits.