Feature Guide

This page is the shortest route from a mission-design need to an executable example. Public features should appear here when they are intended for normal user scripts.

Need	Primary API	Tutorial or guide	Executable example
Standard free-time transfer	two_burn_rendezvous(...)	Getting Started	examples/quick/01_two_impulse_free_time.py
Relative coast–burn–coast hop	relative_hop(...)	Mission Patterns	examples/quick/06_relative_hop.py
Multiple relative transfers	relative_transfer_chain(...)	Mission Patterns	examples/quick/07_relative_transfer_chain.py
Arbitrary linked phases	Mission, Phase, Link	Concepts	examples/composable/earth_centered/02_precoast_continuous_link.py
Finite burns and mass continuity	mode="finite_thrust"	Mission Patterns	examples/composable/relative/24_relative_finite_burn_coast.py
RIC/fixed/Euler thrust direction	ThrustControl	Thrust Direction And Attitude	examples/composable/earth_centered/12_thrust_frames_and_attitude.py
CWH and exact relative motion	Dynamics.cwh, Dynamics.relative	Concepts	examples/composable/relative/21_exact_ric_formulations.py
D'Amico/classical ROE targeting	relative-element constraints	Mission Patterns	examples/composable/relative/22_damico_free_time_target.py
Three-burn relative topology	composable relative phases	Mission Patterns	examples/composable/relative/25_relative_three_burn_transfer.py
Coordinate and representation conversion	octavian.relative transforms	Concepts	examples/composable/relative/18_relative_representations.py
Analysis-only propagation	octavian.propagate	Analysis Propagation	examples/quick/08_propagation_models.py
J2 and Sun/Moon gravity	Perturbations	Mission Patterns	examples/composable/earth_centered/10_sun_moon_perturbations.py
Cannonball drag and SRP	Cannonball, Perturbations	Cannonball Drag And SRP	examples/composable/relative/27_cannonball_drag_srp.py
Solar-phase constraints	constraints.solar_phase_angle	Mission Patterns	examples/composable/relative/20_perturbed_relative_solar.py
RIC trajectory and time histories	solution.viz()	Concepts	examples/composable/relative/19_nonlinear_relative_rendezvous.py
2D/3D PNG/JPEG plots or GUI windows	save_trajectory_image, octavian.viz.matplotlib	Output And Visualization	examples/outputs/02_matplotlib_plots.py
Earth–Moon/general CR3BP	CR3BPSystem, Dynamics.cr3bp	Cislunar CR3BP	examples/composable/cislunar/29_earth_moon_cr3bp.py
Periodic orbits at a Jacobi value	constraints.periodic_state, constraints.jacobi_constant	Cislunar Design Guide	examples/composable/cislunar/33_jacobi_targeted_periodic_orbit.py
Periodic-orbit family continuation	guesses.trajectory, Jacobi targeting	Cislunar Design Guide	examples/composable/cislunar/34_jacobi_targeted_periodic_orbit_family.py
STK/OEM/BSP/CSV output	solution.export_ephemeris	Output And Visualization	examples/outputs/01_ephemeris_files.py
JSON/YAML missions	load_mission(...)	JSON And YAML Missions	examples/config/01_two_impulse_transfer.json

Lower-level helpers and complete signatures are listed in the API Reference. The examples stay intentionally direct: copy one, change the declarations, and run it as a normal Python script.

Spherical-harmonic gravity

Use Perturbations(spherical_harmonics=SphericalHarmonics(...)) for fully normalized zonal, tesseral, and sectoral gravity with explicit degree/order and body rotation. The Python ASSET-expression backend and optional compiled C++ backend share the same mission API. See Spherical-Harmonic Gravity for coefficient conventions, example configuration, and native build instructions.