In a talk to the press which can be heard in the YouTube video NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine Explains the Lunar Gateway, NASA director Jim Bridenstine says after about 02:40
:
It’s also true, because it’s solar-electric propulsion it’s not as big as the international space station. But with solar-electric propulsion, it’s not just going to be in an orbit around the moon, it’s going to actually go to L2 and L1, and give more access to more parts of the moon than ever before.
Question: How will the Lunar Gateway go to L2 and L1, and how much delta-v is required to do so? I have read in other answers here that it will be in a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around one of those two points, I'm wondering if it will somehow jump between orbits around L1 and L2.
The nature of three body orbits allows for low energy transfers between different (quasi) periodic orbits, so this might certainly be possible with solar-electric propulsion if done very carefully but that might take a long time. (See for example Going from LEO to lunar using only low-thrust ion propulsion - can it be done?) I'm just wondering if this kind of transfer has been worked out in this case, and between L1 and L2 NRHO's in particular.
Background:
- What is a near rectilinear halo orbit?
- Why is a near rectilinear halo orbit proposed for LOP-G (formerly known as Deep Space Gateway?)
- How to find Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits (NHROs)?
- Low Energy Transfer within Earth-Moon system (as-yet unanswered question)
- A longer section of a transcription of his talk can be read here.