What is it about?
This research explores a new way to plan space missions that can visit multiple asteroids—especially those that could one day threaten Earth—by using Venus as a gravitational slingshot. Instead of flying directly from Earth to an asteroid, the spacecraft first swings by Venus, using its gravity to enter a special repeating orbit (called a resonant orbit) that brings it back near Venus periodically. On each loop, the spacecraft can encounter a different asteroid while remaining in the inner solar system. The study develops and tests trajectory designs that allow for several asteroid flybys with minimal fuel, and even the option to return the spacecraft to Earth afterward.
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Why is it important?
This approach is important for two main reasons: It provides a practical way to closely observe Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs), improving our understanding of their orbits, composition, and potential threat to Earth. By using Venus’s gravity repeatedly, missions can visit multiple asteroids in shorter timeframes and with less fuel compared to direct flights. This makes multi-asteroid missions more feasible and cost-effective, enhancing the scientific return of missions to Venus and the inner solar system.
Perspectives
The methods developed here open the door to more ambitious and flexible deep-space missions. Future work could: Extend the technique to other planets or mission scenarios. Incorporate more advanced propulsion systems to reach even more asteroids. Improve trajectory planning to account for uncertainties in asteroid orbits. Support upcoming Venus missions (like VERITAS, DAVINCI+, EnVision) by adding asteroid flybys to their itineraries, thereby maximizing scientific output without significantly increasing cost or mission duration. In the long term, this strategy could become a standard part of mission design, enabling coordinated exploration of planets and asteroids within the same flight.
Mr Vladislav Zubko
Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI)
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The feasibility of potentially hazardous asteroids flybys using multiple Venus gravity assists, Acta Astronautica, April 2026, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.016.
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