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2ArmsGoin3 t1_iztdrq6 wrote

Can someone ELI5 why it will take until April to reach the moon? Does the ‘low-energy transfer ballistic lunar transfer trajectory’ mean that it’s slowly drifting towards the moon? If so what was the reason behind this choice versus quickly going to the destination? Thanks in advance!

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seanbrockest t1_iztn2wp wrote

Kinda, yeah! Basically what they're doing is taking a lot less fuel, and utilizing various gravity transfers to get out to the moon without having to expend a bunch of fuel to speed up, and then expend that same amount of fuel to slow down again once they get there.

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2ArmsGoin3 t1_iztn8s7 wrote

Thank you for the explanation, that makes sense!

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