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cyclers.space

Launch windows

Horizon: 2026-05-31 → 2036-05-30 (10 years). Generated 2026-05-31; refreshes weekly. Grid resolution 10 d; V∞ mismatch cap 3 km/s. Per-cycler window count: up to 5.

31 of 47 catalogue entries produced launch windows. The remaining 16 were skipped — non-ballistic, non-heliocentric, lacking the orbital data needed to reconstruct a phase signature, or no geometric match found inside the horizon at the current mismatch cap.

Cyclers with launch windows in the horizon

Cycler Bodies Period (yr) Next windows V∞ (km/s, per encounter) Mismatch
Aldrin classic Earth-Mars cycler (outbound / up-escalator, 1 synodic) E,M 2.13
  • 2033-02-23 · V∞ 5.58 / 9.76
  • 2026-11-27 · V∞ 5.31 / 9.72
  • 2035-04-04 · V∞ 7.91 / 9.22
  • 2028-12-26 · V∞ 4.77 / 10.21
  • 2031-01-25 · V∞ 4.42 / 10.06
0.98
McConaghy/Landau/Yam/Longuski two-synodic-period Earth-Mars cycler E,M 4.27
  • 2035-05-24 · V∞ 4.59 / 5.38
  • 2031-03-06 · V∞ 4.87 / 5.64
  • 2033-05-14 · V∞ 4.52 / 3.83
  • 2033-04-14 · V∞ 3.14 / 4.89
  • 2035-07-23 · V∞ 4.36 / 3.13
0.50
S1L1 ballistic two-synodic-period Earth-Mars cycler E,M 4.27
  • 2035-08-12 · V∞ 6.08 / 3.09
  • 2033-05-24 · V∞ 5.20 / 3.86
  • 2031-03-16 · V∞ 5.76 / 5.02
0.48
Russell-Ocampo cycler 2.1.1.+2 ('Case 2' of Byrnes/McConaghy/Longuski 2002) E,M 4.27
  • 2035-07-23 · V∞ 4.04 / 2.69
  • 2035-05-14 · V∞ 4.11 / 3.01
  • 2031-02-24 · V∞ 3.97 / 3.82
  • 2033-05-24 · V∞ 4.12 / 3.96
  • 2033-03-25 · V∞ 3.65 / 3.80
0.75
Russell-Ocampo cycler 2.3.1.+1 ('Case 3' of Byrnes/McConaghy/Longuski 2002) E,M 4.27
  • 2031-03-16 · V∞ 5.90 / 5.74
  • 2033-05-24 · V∞ 5.43 / 4.06
  • 2035-06-03 · V∞ 4.42 / 5.67
  • 2035-08-02 · V∞ 5.23 / 3.29
  • 2033-04-24 · V∞ 3.52 / 4.97
0.93
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.3.1.-5 (low-energy 4-synodic, near-Hohmann) E,M 8.54
  • 2026-11-17 · V∞ 3.43 / 2.93
  • 2028-11-26 · V∞ 3.40 / 3.44
  • 2030-12-16 · V∞ 3.58 / 3.63
  • 2031-01-05 · V∞ 3.58 / 3.71
  • 2033-03-25 · V∞ 3.15 / 4.22
0.76
Russell-Ocampo cycler 3.1.2.+1 (3-synodic, low terminal speeds) E,M 6.41
  • 2033-03-15 · V∞ 3.35 / 4.90
  • 2031-02-14 · V∞ 3.40 / 5.05
  • 2033-05-04 · V∞ 3.58 / 3.41
  • 2035-06-03 · V∞ 3.59 / 3.38
  • 2029-01-05 · V∞ 4.07 / 5.89
0.35
Russell-Ocampo cycler 2.5.1.+0 (short-transit 2-synodic) E,M 4.27
  • 2031-03-26 · V∞ 8.43 / 10.54
  • 2035-06-23 · V∞ 6.28 / 9.96
  • 2033-05-04 · V∞ 5.48 / 9.49
1.27
Aldrin classic Earth-Mars cycler (inbound / down-escalator, 1 synodic) M,E 2.13
  • 2035-09-11 · V∞ 9.56 / 6.58
  • 2029-02-04 · V∞ 9.52 / 6.02
  • 2026-12-27 · V∞ 10.22 / 5.58
  • 2031-04-05 · V∞ 8.54 / 6.93
  • 2033-06-13 · V∞ 7.00 / 6.51
0.22
Russell-Ocampo cycler 3.1.1.+3 (low-V_inf 3-synodic) E,M 6.41
  • 2031-02-24 · V∞ 3.98 / 4.88
  • 2033-03-25 · V∞ 3.03 / 4.73
  • 2035-06-03 · V∞ 3.68 / 3.67
  • 2033-05-04 · V∞ 3.66 / 3.48
  • 2035-07-13 · V∞ 3.66 / 2.79
0.67
Russell-Ocampo cycler 3.3.1.+2 (3-synodic) E,M 6.41
  • 2031-02-24 · V∞ 4.24 / 7.57
  • 2035-05-24 · V∞ 5.05 / 6.44
  • 2033-04-04 · V∞ 3.35 / 6.63
  • 2029-01-25 · V∞ 6.14 / 7.75
0.82
Russell-Ocampo cycler 3.5.1.+1 (high-V_inf, short-transit, 3-synodic) E,M 6.41
  • 2031-03-06 · V∞ 5.57 / 9.74
  • 2035-06-03 · V∞ 5.91 / 8.71
  • 2033-04-04 · V∞ 4.60 / 9.92
0.71
Russell-Ocampo cycler 3.5.2.+0 (high-V_inf, short-transit, 3-synodic) E,M 6.41
  • 2031-03-06 · V∞ 5.36 / 8.90
  • 2033-04-04 · V∞ 4.21 / 9.03
  • 2035-05-24 · V∞ 6.21 / 8.73
  • 2029-01-25 · V∞ 6.58 / 10.22
0.47
Russell-Ocampo cycler 3.7.1.+1 (low-V_inf 3-synodic) E,M 6.41
  • 2031-02-24 · V∞ 3.98 / 4.83
  • 2033-03-25 · V∞ 3.03 / 4.67
  • 2035-06-03 · V∞ 3.67 / 3.63
  • 2033-05-04 · V∞ 3.65 / 3.46
  • 2035-07-13 · V∞ 3.66 / 2.77
0.61
Russell-Ocampo cycler 3.9.1.+0 (high-V_inf, short-transit, 3-synodic) E,M 6.41
  • 2031-03-06 · V∞ 5.53 / 9.59
  • 2035-06-03 · V∞ 5.84 / 8.57
  • 2033-04-04 · V∞ 4.53 / 9.76
  • 2029-02-04 · V∞ 7.85 / 9.74
0.52
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.0.3.+1 (good terminal speeds, generic returns only) E,M 8.54
  • 2035-05-24 · V∞ 4.38 / 4.86
  • 2031-03-06 · V∞ 4.82 / 5.17
  • 2033-05-14 · V∞ 4.41 / 3.69
  • 2033-04-04 · V∞ 2.99 / 5.03
  • 2035-07-23 · V∞ 4.30 / 2.96
0.12
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.1.1.-5 (4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2033-03-05 · V∞ 3.81 / 6.08
  • 2029-01-05 · V∞ 4.12 / 6.51
  • 2026-12-07 · V∞ 5.00 / 6.30
  • 2031-02-04 · V∞ 3.15 / 6.29
  • 2035-05-24 · V∞ 4.09 / 4.06
0.31
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.3.1.-4 (4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2029-01-15 · V∞ 5.00 / 7.37
  • 2033-03-05 · V∞ 4.34 / 7.87
  • 2026-12-07 · V∞ 5.23 / 7.96
  • 2031-02-14 · V∞ 3.60 / 7.17
  • 2035-04-14 · V∞ 6.79 / 7.59
0.53
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.5.1.-4 (promising energy) E,M 8.54
  • 2033-03-15 · V∞ 3.65 / 4.32
  • 2031-02-14 · V∞ 3.44 / 4.33
  • 2029-01-05 · V∞ 4.02 / 4.93
  • 2026-11-27 · V∞ 4.22 / 5.35
  • 2033-05-14 · V∞ 3.84 / 3.60
0.43
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.5.1.-3 (high-V_inf, 4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2029-01-15 · V∞ 5.30 / 9.23
  • 2026-12-07 · V∞ 5.72 / 9.85
  • 2033-03-05 · V∞ 5.33 / 10.02
  • 2031-02-14 · V∞ 4.06 / 9.08
  • 2035-04-24 · V∞ 7.21 / 8.95
0.26
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.5.2.-2 (promising energy) E,M 8.54
  • 2031-02-14 · V∞ 3.41 / 4.53
  • 2033-03-15 · V∞ 3.49 / 4.45
  • 2029-01-05 · V∞ 4.03 / 5.22
  • 2033-05-04 · V∞ 3.47 / 3.39
  • 2035-06-03 · V∞ 3.51 / 3.06
0.08
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.5.3.-1 (high-V_inf, 4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2033-03-15 · V∞ 5.01 / 9.96
  • 2031-02-24 · V∞ 4.50 / 8.86
  • 2029-01-15 · V∞ 5.53 / 10.14
  • 2026-12-17 · V∞ 6.54 / 9.69
  • 2035-05-04 · V∞ 7.01 / 9.12
0.85
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.7.1.-3 (4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2033-03-05 · V∞ 4.01 / 6.94
  • 2029-01-05 · V∞ 4.23 / 7.39
  • 2026-12-07 · V∞ 5.09 / 7.12
  • 2031-02-14 · V∞ 3.48 / 6.34
  • 2035-05-24 · V∞ 4.30 / 4.66
0.43
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.9.1.-2 (high-V_inf, 4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2029-01-15 · V∞ 5.30 / 9.23
  • 2026-12-07 · V∞ 5.72 / 9.85
  • 2033-03-05 · V∞ 5.33 / 10.02
  • 2031-02-14 · V∞ 4.06 / 9.08
  • 2035-04-24 · V∞ 7.21 / 8.95
0.26
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.9.2.-1 (turn-angle showcase) E,M 8.54
  • 2033-03-15 · V∞ 4.87 / 9.68
  • 2029-01-15 · V∞ 5.46 / 9.87
  • 2031-02-24 · V∞ 4.44 / 8.61
  • 2026-12-17 · V∞ 6.48 / 9.44
  • 2035-05-04 · V∞ 6.86 / 8.85
0.81
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.10.1.+2 (high-V_inf, 4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2033-06-23 · V∞ 8.62 / 5.16
  • 2035-09-01 · V∞ 8.97 / 3.97
  • 2031-04-05 · V∞ 8.42 / 5.70
  • 2029-02-14 · V∞ 8.95 / 7.07
  • 2027-01-06 · V∞ 9.05 / 7.66
0.44
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.11.1.-2 (promising energy) E,M 8.54
  • 2033-03-15 · V∞ 3.61 / 4.34
  • 2031-02-14 · V∞ 3.43 / 4.36
  • 2029-01-05 · V∞ 4.02 / 4.99
  • 2026-11-27 · V∞ 4.22 / 5.41
  • 2033-05-14 · V∞ 3.86 / 3.59
0.37
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.12.1.+1 (high-V_inf, short-transit, 4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2031-04-15 · V∞ 11.36 / 8.84
  • 2033-06-23 · V∞ 10.46 / 6.61
1.20
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.13.1.-1 (high-V_inf, 4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2029-01-15 · V∞ 5.30 / 9.23
  • 2026-12-07 · V∞ 5.72 / 9.85
  • 2033-03-05 · V∞ 5.33 / 10.02
  • 2031-02-14 · V∞ 4.06 / 9.08
  • 2035-04-24 · V∞ 7.21 / 8.95
0.26
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.14.1.-1 (high-V_inf, 4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2026-06-10 · V∞ 14.79 / 9.27
  • 2029-04-25 · V∞ 14.79 / 9.68
  • 2033-09-11 · V∞ 14.57 / 8.88
  • 2028-07-19 · V∞ 14.70 / 10.78
  • 2031-07-14 · V∞ 14.64 / 11.02
0.21
Russell-Ocampo cycler 4.14.1.+0 (high-V_inf, short-transit, 4-synodic) E,M 8.54
  • 2031-04-15 · V∞ 14.06 / 14.09
1.43

Cyclers without windows (skipped or no match)

Cycler Reason
Niehoff VISIT-1 Earth-Mars cycler skipped: entry 'niehoff-visit1' has 0 legs; need 1
Niehoff VISIT-2 Earth-Mars cycler skipped: entry 'niehoff-visit2' has 0 legs; need 1
Jones/Hernandez/Jesick VEM triple cyclers (family seed entry) skipped: entry 'jones-2017-vem-triple-family' has 0 legs; need 2
EMEEVE VEM Triple Cycler (3-synodic beat archetype) skipped: entry 'vem-emeeve-3syn' has 0 legs; need 5
Aldrin 4:3(2)- Variant (Analytic Ephemeris Establishment) skipped: entry 'aldrin-4-3-2-establishment' leg {'from': 'E', 'to': 'M', 'tof_days': None, 'n_revs': 0, 'note': 'Rogers 2012 notes ToF ranges 161-172 d in the analytic ephemeris model; exact value for the 4:3(2) variant is not explicitly paired in the aggregated text.'} has null tof_days
Aldrin 3:2(1)- Variant (Analytic Ephemeris Establishment) skipped: entry 'aldrin-3-2-1-establishment' has 0 legs; need 1
Arenstorf periodic Earth-Moon free-return orbit (CR3BP) skipped: non-heliocentric primary=Earth
Genova/Aldrin free-return Earth-Moon cycler (interplanetary cruise ship, 3:1 lunar resonant) skipped: non-heliocentric primary=Earth
Wittal/Miaule/Asher Earth-Moon cycler family for lunar logistics (family seed) skipped: non-heliocentric primary=Earth
Hernandez/Jones/Jesick Io-Europa-Ganymede triple cyclers (Jovian family seed) skipped: non-heliocentric primary=Jupiter
Russell/Strange Jovian moon cycler family (family seed) skipped: non-heliocentric primary=Jupiter
Russell/Strange Saturnian moon cycler family (family seed, Titan-Enceladus focus) skipped: non-heliocentric primary=Saturn
Hollister & Menning periodic Earth-Venus swing-by cycler skipped: entry 'hollister-menning-1970-ev-periodic' has 0 legs; need 1
Case 1 ballistic two-synodic-period Earth-Mars cycler (S2L1 family) skipped: entry 'mcconaghy-2005-em-case1' V∞ entry {'body': 'E', 'vinf_kms': None, 'note': 'Steady-state cycling V_inf at Earth not in Rogers 2012 Table 1 (Table 1\ngives orbital elements only). Rogers 2012 Table 3 reports the\n4:3(2)- establishment-cycler V_inf,flyby = 3.378 km/s (the post-Earth\nflyby V_inf for the establishment trajectory matching Case 1\'s\norbital elements). McConaghy/Longuski/Byrnes 2002 AIAA 2002-4420\n(paywalled at AIAA) is the originating source for the steady-state\ncycler V_inf; Russell 2004 Table 3.4 does not pair "Case 1" to a\nRussell-numbered row (only Case 2 = 2.1.1.+2 and Case 3 = 2.3.1.+1\nare footnoted).\n'} has null vinf_kms
U0L1 high-energy zero-loop one-synodic Earth-Mars cycler skipped: entry 'mcconaghy-2005-em-u0l1' V∞ entry {'body': 'E', 'vinf_kms': None, 'note': "Steady-state V_inf at Earth not in Rogers 2012 Table 1. Rogers\nTable 3 gives V_inf,flyby = 9.801-12.634 km/s for the\nestablishment-cycler 4:3(2)-, 3:2(1)- and 2:1(1)- variants\ntargeting U0L1's orbital elements — substantially higher than\nthe Aldrin cycler's ~5.7 km/s at Earth, reflecting U0L1's\nhigh-energy aphelion-3.2-AU orbit (well beyond Mars).\n"} has null vinf_kms
McConaghy 2005 dissertation SnLm Earth-Mars broad-class cycler family seed skipped: entry 'mcconaghy-2005-em-snlm-broadclass-family' has 0 legs; need 1

What's missing (and what brings it in)

The columns currently blank or absent — C3, TOF to first encounter, maintenance-ΔV budget, validation level (V0–V5) — require milestones M6a (multi-lap propagation in the rotating frame, with bounded closure-drift check) and M6b (ephemeris-mode TCM minimisation over a 3–5 lap horizon) in the upstream cyclerfinder. When those land, this page's JSON schema is already shaped for them (see src/data/windows.json) and the cells will populate without further site changes.

How the dates are computed

For each ballistic, heliocentric, Earth-touching cycler in the seed catalogue: the cycler's per-encounter V∞ targets and per-leg time-of-flight are extracted as a phase signature. We then grid-scan the next 10 years of real ephemeris at 10 d resolution; at each candidate departure date we solve the Lambert two-point boundary-value problem between Earth's actual position and Mars's (or the relevant body's) actual position at the cycler's leg ToF. The candidate's "mismatch" is the sum of |V∞,actual − V∞,target| across encounters. The N lowest-mismatch dates below the 3 km/s cap are kept, sorted best-match first.

Source: cyclerfinder.search.phase_match.find_real_windows in the upstream repo. Ephemeris: JPL DE440 via astropy. Refresh cadence: weekly cron in .github/workflows/refresh-windows.yml; also triggers on workflow_dispatch.