bi-elliptic transfers

A form of bi-elliptic transfer — A type of movement of a spacecraft from one orbit to another, in which the spacecraft first raises its apoapsis to an extremely high altitude, then, at the new, higher, apoapsis, performs an engine burn to change its periapsis to that of the desired orbit, and, finally, upon reaching the new periapsis, performs a third burn to lower the eccentricity of its orbit and circularize in the desired orbit, or performs these steps in reverse to move from a higher to a lower orbit.

Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of bi-elliptic transfer
Cite this entry
APA

bi-elliptic transfers. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bi-elliptic%20transfers

MLA

“bi-elliptic transfers.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bi-elliptic%20transfers. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bi-elliptic transfers,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bi-elliptic%20transfers.

Source: bi-elliptic transfers on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.