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uhoh
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Did DSCOVR travel "along the stable manifold of it's future SE L1 Halo orbit" to get there?

I just wrote the following paragraph:

As can be heard in this video SpaceX's launch of the DSCOVR spacecraft to Sun-Earth L1 went there almost directly. The first secondary engine cut-off (SECO-1) was at about T+ 00:08:40, and after what the announcer says (at about T+ 00:09:50) would be "in about 21 minutes", the secondary stage's second burn would put it in to a Heliocentric orbit (along the stable manifold of it's future SE L1 Halo orbit) on it's way to the SE L1. Considering that a LEO orbit is about 90 minutes, DSCOVR was in Earth orbit for roughly half of one Earth orbit. (emphasis added)

in this answer. DSCOVR would need about four months to arrive in its final orbit, and explained in the answers to Why would a mission to Sun-Earth L1 have an instantaneous launch window? was probably traveling along the most efficient (lowest Δv) path to arrive there.

  • Is the idea that DSCOVR travelled on a trajectory along a CR3BP manifold at least generally correct?

  • Is the wording at least fairly accurate, or is there a better way to say this? If I understand correctly, DSCOVR is actually in a Lissajous orbit, not technically a halo orbit, although sometimes they get lumped together. In that case is there still a manifold?

Possibly helpful items 1, 2, 3, 4, and that colorful line on slide 3 of DSCOVR Halfway to L1.

enter image description here

uhoh
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