Search for a grand tour of the jupiter galilean moons

Abstract

We make use of self-adaptation in a Differential Evolution algorithm and of the asynchronous island model to design a complex interplanetary trajectory touring the Galilean Jupiter moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) using the multiple gravity assist technique. Such a problem was recently the subject of an international competition organized by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA) and won by a trajectory designed by aerospace experts and reaching the final score of 311/324. We apply our method to the very same problem finding new surprising designs and orbital strategies and a score of up to 316/324.