ABOUT HOHMANN TRANSFER ORBIT
The Hohmann Transfer Orbit is the most fuel-efficient two-impulse maneuver for transferring between two circular coplanar orbits. It uses an elliptical orbit tangent to both the initial and target orbits. While not the fastest transfer method, it requires the minimum delta-v and is the foundation of most orbital transfer calculations.
ORBITAL PARAMETERS
| Altitude (Min) | 0 km |
| Altitude (Max) | 0 km |
| Orbital Period | Variable minutes |
| Orbital Velocity | Variable km/s |
| Delta-V Required | Depends on orbits km/s |
| Eccentricity | 0-1 |
| Category | Transfer Orbit |
EQUATION / FORMULA
Δv_total = Δv1 + Δv2 = sqrt(GM/r1)*(sqrt(2r2/(r1+r2))-1) + sqrt(GM/r2)*(1-sqrt(2r1/(r1+r2)))
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES
Most fuel-efficient two-burn transfer, simple to calculate, widely applicable
DISADVANTAGES
Slow for large orbit changes, only optimal for ratio of radii below 11.94, coplanar only
HISTORY
| Discoverer / Pioneer | Walter Hohmann (1925) |
| First Use | January 1, 1960 |
ALTITUDE CONVERSIONS (MIN)
| Kilometers | 0 km |
| Miles | 0 mi |
| Nautical Miles | 0 nmi |
TYPICAL PAYLOADS (3)
