Aero Fact: Delta-v Budget
Mission planning revolves around total delta-v required including gravity and drag losses.
By AircoreDynamics •
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1 min read
Definition: Total velocity change required for mission phases, including gravity and drag losses.
Physics insight: Transfers (Hohmann, bi-elliptic), corrections, and plane changes determine the budget.
Example: LEO→GTO→GEO ~4.3–4.5 km/s (approx.).
Δv_total = Σ Δv_i
Rules of thumb: Plan margin and error tolerance; thrust vectoring and burn windows matter.
Common pitfalls: Underestimating plane-change cost.
References: Vallado; Bate, Mueller, White