Quantum–Assisted Initialization for Low–Thrust Earth–Moon Trajectories

Low-thrust Earth–Moon transfers are highly sensitive problems, and classical optimal-control
solvers converge reliably only when provided with a meaningful initial profile. This work studies
whether quantum computing can assist the early exploration of discrete thrust-activation patterns
that seed those solvers more effectively.
The timeline is discretized into binary activation decisions. Rather than relying on random or handcrafted schedules, quantum routines generate and evaluate large sets of candidate thrust/coast
patterns under the same computational budget, increasing coverage of the combinatorial space.
Promising discrete patterns are identified, and elite samples guide the search toward feasible
thrust structures. Both methods output discrete thrust schedules evaluated through high-fidelity
CR3BP propagation.
The goal is not to replace deterministic optimization but to test whether quantum-assisted pattern
exploration can accelerate the search for viable low-thrust structures in Earth–Moon transfers. The
study provides an initial assessment of how quantum computation could complement classical
methods in future cislunar trajectory design.