A Phase-Transit Cargo Ferry: Energy and Crossing Time for a Five-Tonne Payload

This paper presents a complete design study of a phase-transit cargo ferry rated for a payload of five tonnes, computed throughout from stated assumptions. A crossing specified at eight full turns of the phase coordinate costs 4800.0 MJ of electrical energy, drawn at a mean power of 1333.3 kW over a one-hour crossing. A single turn costs 600.0 MJ and a sixteen-turn route costs 9600.0 MJ. The conventional tug performing the same transfer would expend 713.2 kg of propellant carrying 3209.2 MJ of chemical energy, so the ferry replaces a propellant bill with a larger but reusable electrical bill. Every figure is a computed result of the stated model and nothing was built or tested: the study is SIMULATED, NOT MEASURED, and its limits are stated as plainly as its performance.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-11-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24125604
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Spacecraft Dynamics and Control
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.98
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article

A Phase-Transit Cargo Ferry: Energy and Crossing Time for a Five-Tonne Payload

William Alexander Aldred
1 citations
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Spacecraft Dynamics and Control
1.98
article

A Phase-Transit Cargo Ferry: Energy and Crossing Time for a Five-Tonne Payload

William Alexander Aldred
article en
1 citations

Abstract

This paper presents a complete design study of a phase-transit cargo ferry rated for a payload of five tonnes, computed throughout from stated assumptions. A crossing specified at eight full turns of the phase coordinate costs 4800.0 MJ of electrical energy, drawn at a mean power of 1333.3 kW over a one-hour crossing. A single turn costs 600.0 MJ and a sixteen-turn route costs 9600.0 MJ. The conventional tug performing the same transfer would expend 713.2 kg of propellant carrying 3209.2 MJ of chemical energy, so the ferry replaces a propellant bill with a larger but reusable electrical bill. Every figure is a computed result of the stated model and nothing was built or tested: the study is SIMULATED, NOT MEASURED, and its limits are stated as plainly as its performance.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Openalex Percentile: Top 21%
Spacecraft Dynamics and Control
1.98
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