Computed Pluto-Charon stable (3,2) prograde CR3BP cycler (known-class member, Ross-RT 2026 mu=0.1 family)

ross-rt-pc-cycler-32-2026 · source: this-project · validation: V2 · known-class

Signature

Bodies: Pluto-Charon
Primary: Pluto
Sequence (canonical): Pluto-Charon
Sense: n/a
Orbit class: Cycler
strict cycler (infinite returns)
Cycler class: non-keplerian (CR3BP)
Trajectory regime: ballistic
Maintenance ΔV band: unclassified
Model assumption: cr3bp
CR3BP — Jacobi-constant-conserved; signature not patched-conic comparable.
Period: — yr (1 × Pluto-Charon synodic)
T = 11.8334625170346 TU (DERIVED from our C-sweep nu=0 midpoint); 1 TU = T_s/(2*pi) = 552014.313 s / (2*pi) = 87855.81 s (satellites.py: Charon a=19600 km, GM_system=975.5 km^3/s^2; T_s = 2*pi*sqrt(a^3/GM_system) = 552014.313 s). T in days: 11.8334625170346 * 87855.81 / 86400 = 12.033 d (DERIVED). Encounter cadence: 3 Pluto + 2 Charon passes per period (k1=3, k2=2). years: null (CR3BP, rotating-frame periodic orbit, no heliocentric synodic-multiple convention applies).
Priority date: 2026-06-30

V∞ at encounters

Pluto (encounter 1): — (not published)
CR3BP periodic orbit: conserved quantity is the Jacobi constant (C=3.57951501972907 DERIVED), not patched-conic V_inf. Pluto-Charon rotating frame.
Charon (encounter 2): — (not published)
Same — Jacobi-constant model. Charon is the secondary (mu=0.10876 = GM_Charon/GM_system).

CR3BP orbit identity

Family: (3,2) prograde CR3BP cycler (Pluto-Charon, mu=0.10876473603280369)
Mass ratio (μ): 0.10876473603280369
Jacobi constant: 3.5795
Period (non-dim): 11.8335
Stability index: 0.000

Planar CR3BP rotating-frame periodic orbit in the Pluto-Charon system; Keplerian elements inapplicable.

Orbit view 2.5D ecliptic projection

Not renderable from current data. This is a rotating-frame (CR3BP) periodic orbit. A faithful render requires numerical propagation of the synodic-frame state, which the catalogue does not yet publish as a sampled path — so no stand-in ellipse is drawn (drawing a heliocentric ellipse here would misrepresent the dynamics). The CR3BP identity (Jacobi constant, period, stability) is tabulated above.

model: CR3BP (rotating frame)

3D view not available for rotating-frame (CR3BP) orbits.

Definition status

incomplete — core fields missing or known-unknowns tracked below

Known-unknowns (1)

Values we expect to exist but have not yet filled (distinct from "not applicable"). Tracked per upstream docs/spec.md §16.6.4.

orbit_elements.cr3bp [derive]
All CR3BP IC values (jacobi_constant, period_nd, stability_index, state_nd) are DERIVED from our C-sweep along the (3,2) branch at mu=0.10876473603280369 seeded from the Ross-RT 2026 mu=0.1 Table-I anchor. No published Pluto-Charon IC is available in the source paper. Crosscheck: Radau closure <1e-6, dJ=8.0e-13.

source: tests/search/test_ross_rt_2026_mu_family.py::test_494_phase3_pluto_charon_32_stable_member_exists.

Primary citation

Ross, S. D. & Roberts-Tsoukkas, M. (2026). Families of Stable Prograde Cycler Orbits in the Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem. arXiv preprint arXiv:2606.29189v1.

URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.29189

Family source (Ross-RT 2026 (3,2) CR3BP family). Pluto-Charon instantiation is our C-sweep (2026-06-30); no PC IC printed in the paper.

Notes

Pluto-Charon (mu=0.10876473603280369 = 106.1/975.5, satellites.py) stable (3,2) prograde CR3BP cycler. Located (2026-06-30) by a C-sweep along the (3,2) branch (hc=6) seeded from the Ross-RT 2026 Table-I mu=0.1 anchor: sweep tracked nu(C) from the mu=0.1 anchor to mu=0.10876, located the stable window nu in (-1,1), found the nu=0 midpoint at C=3.57951501972907, x0=-0.693198287043369. Barden nu=3.82e-9 (maximally stable). Independent Radau crosscheck: closure <1e-6, dJ=8.0e-13. (3,2) topology + prograde confirmed. Physical checks: C(L1) = 3.6285 > C = 3.5795 (Hill region OK); Henon-Wisdom a_crit crosscheck PASS. ALL ICs DERIVED (no published PC orbit). MODEL: pure planar CR3BP (PCR3BP). No ephemeris, no solar perturbation.

Source quotes (per-field provenance)

Every numerical value in this entry traces to a verbatim or paraphrased quote from a cited source.

orbit_elements.cr3bp.mass_ratio: satellites.py (repo): Charon GM=106.1 km^3/s^2 / Pluto-system GM=975.5 km^3/s^2 = 0.10876473603280369.
orbit_elements.cr3bp.lunit_km: satellites.py (repo): Charon a=19600.0 km (semi-major axis, CR3BP unit length = P1-P2 distance).