Applied Trajectory Design for close-proximity operations of Asteroid CubeSat Missions

The paper establishes, via a Monte Carlo–based navigation assessment with a 48 h TAT and 49 h cut‑off time (COT), that CRP‑Option A (3–4 day arcs) becomes unflyable because the relative dispersion reaches ≈33% (1σ) before any correction is possible; only ≥7‑day arcs enable a mid‑arc correction that keeps risk acceptable, making Option B feasible. These points are made explicitly, including the COT definition and the need for a weekly mid‑arc correction window, and the uncertainty model (thruster 1.67% magnitude, 0.67° direction; SRP and residual accelerations as 1‑day GM processes) is tabulated (paper’s Figures/Sections and Table 5) . The candidate solution reaches the same conclusions using a first‑order analytic propagation to quantify how 49 h of open‑loop growth (gated by COT) drives Option A to the 33% relative‑dispersion regime, while a 7‑day arc with a nominal zero‑Δv mid‑arc patch (at 84 h) permits a correction informed by data up to t=35 h, reducing dispersion and making Option B flyable . Minor differences are that the model uses simplified t·βΔv scaling and illustrative ranges (e.g., r≈1 km) rather than the paper’s full simulation and Key‑Point distances (2.78–4.57 km to D2), but these do not alter the core agreement.