Hohmann Transfer Orbit Calculator
Compute the two-burn delta-v budget and transfer time for a Hohmann orbit transfer between any two circular orbits, from LEO-to-GEO to Earth-to-Mars interplanetary missions.
🌍 What is the Hohmann Transfer Orbit Calculator?
A Hohmann transfer orbit is the most fuel-efficient two-impulse maneuver to move a spacecraft from one circular orbit to another circular coplanar orbit around the same gravitational body. Proposed by German engineer Walter Hohmann in 1925, the transfer uses an intermediate ellipse whose periapsis (closest point) lies on the initial orbit and whose apoapsis (farthest point) lies on the target orbit. Two propulsive burns execute the transfer: the first burn raises or lowers the orbit to intersect the target, and the second burn circularizes at the target altitude.
This calculator has two modes. Orbit Around a Body covers transfers around Earth (LEO to GEO, parking orbit to lunar distance, etc.), Moon, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter. You enter the initial and target orbit altitudes above the body's surface, and the calculator returns both individual burns (delta-v1 and delta-v2), the total delta-v budget, the transfer time, and the spacecraft velocity in the transfer orbit at each endpoint. This covers the most common use cases in spacecraft trajectory design: orbit raising and lowering maneuvers, station-keeping adjustments, and satellite deployment sequences.
Interplanetary mode covers heliocentric Hohmann transfers between planetary orbits. Select any two planets from Mercury through Neptune, or enter custom orbital radii in astronomical units (AU). The calculator shows the delta-v required at departure (to move from the planetary orbit onto the transfer ellipse) and at arrival (to circularize at the target), along with the transfer time in days and years. Note that interplanetary results are heliocentric values only and do not include the planetary departure or capture burns within each planet's gravity well, which add several km/s to real mission budgets.
Both modes use exact Keplerian two-body mechanics with precise gravitational parameters (mu) for the central body. The results agree to within 0.5% of published NASA mission planning values for standard transfers.
📐 Formulas
📖 How to Use This Calculator
Steps
💡 Example Calculations
Example 1 - LEO to GEO Transfer (Geostationary Orbit Insertion)
Earth orbit: h⊂1; = 400 km (ISS-like LEO) to h⊂2; = 35786 km (GEO)
Example 2 - Earth to Mars Interplanetary Hohmann
Heliocentric transfer from Earth (1.000 AU) to Mars (1.524 AU)
Example 3 - LEO to Lunar Transfer Orbit (Earth-Moon)
Earth orbit: h⊂1; = 400 km (LEO) to approximate lunar distance 384,000 km altitude
Example 4 - Earth to Jupiter Interplanetary Transfer
Heliocentric transfer from Earth (1.000 AU) to Jupiter (5.203 AU)
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
🔗 Related Calculators
What is a Hohmann transfer and when is it used?
A Hohmann transfer is the minimum two-impulse maneuver to move a spacecraft between two coplanar circular orbits. It uses two tangential burns: the first puts the spacecraft onto an elliptical transfer orbit, and the second circularizes at the target orbit. It is used for satellite orbit raising (LEO to GEO), interplanetary missions within about 12 times the initial orbit radius, and rendezvous setup maneuvers. The total delta-v is the theoretical minimum for any two-burn transfer.
How much delta-v does it take to go from LEO to GEO?
At a 400 km circular LEO (ISS altitude) and a 35786 km GEO, the Hohmann transfer requires approximately 2.40 km/s for the first burn and 1.46 km/s for the second burn, totalling 3.85 km/s. Starting from a 185 km circular parking orbit increases total delta-v to about 4.22 km/s. Real missions are slightly higher due to gravity losses during burns and trajectory corrections.
How long does a Hohmann transfer from Earth to Mars take?
The heliocentric Hohmann transfer from Earth (1.000 AU) to Mars (1.524 AU) takes approximately 258.9 days. The transfer ellipse has a semi-major axis of 1.262 AU and a period of 1.415 years, so the one-way transfer is half that period. Actual missions (like Mars Science Laboratory) use near-Hohmann trajectories and take 250 to 300 days depending on the specific launch window and trajectory optimization.
What is the formula for Hohmann transfer delta-v?
dv1 = |sqrt(mu x (2/r1 - 1/a)) - sqrt(mu/r1)|, dv2 = |sqrt(mu/r2) - sqrt(mu x (2/r2 - 1/a))|, where a = (r1+r2)/2 is the semi-major axis of the transfer ellipse and mu is the gravitational parameter of the central body. For Earth-Moon transfer: mu = 3.986e14 m^3/s^2, r1 = 6778 km, r2 = 384400 km, giving dv1 = 3.14 km/s and dv2 = 0.83 km/s.
What is the Hohmann transfer time formula?
Transfer time t = pi x sqrt(a^3 / mu), where a = (r1+r2)/2 is the semi-major axis of the transfer ellipse and mu is the central body gravitational parameter. This is exactly half the orbital period of the transfer ellipse (Kepler's third law: T = 2 x pi x sqrt(a^3/mu)). For LEO to GEO: a = 24471 km, t = pi x sqrt((24471000)^3 / 3.986e14) = 19049 s = 5.29 hours.
Is a Hohmann transfer always the most fuel-efficient orbital transfer?
No. A Hohmann transfer is the most fuel-efficient two-burn transfer, but for very large orbit ratio changes (r2/r1 greater than about 11.94), a bi-elliptic transfer using three burns actually costs less total delta-v despite the extra burn. For example, moving from LEO (400 km) to a very high Earth orbit at 150,000 km altitude, a bi-elliptic transfer through a 500,000 km intermediate orbit can save several hundred m/s compared to a direct Hohmann. The crossover point depends on the specific radii.
What are the heliocentric delta-v values for Earth to Jupiter?
For a Hohmann transfer from Earth (1.000 AU) to Jupiter (5.203 AU): a = 3.101 AU, v1_circ (Earth) = 29.78 km/s, v_transfer_at_r1 = 38.57 km/s, dv1 = 8.79 km/s, v_transfer_at_r2 = 7.42 km/s, v2_circ (Jupiter) = 13.06 km/s, dv2 = 5.64 km/s, total = 14.43 km/s. Transfer time is about 2.73 years. This does not include the Jupiter orbit insertion burn or Earth departure hyperbolic excess velocity.
What is the difference between heliocentric delta-v and actual mission delta-v?
Heliocentric delta-v is the velocity change in the Sun-centred frame at the departure and arrival points. Actual mission delta-v must also include: (1) the hyperbolic excess velocity C3 burn to leave Earth orbit (typically 3.5 to 4.5 km/s added to LEO); (2) an optional planetary capture burn at the destination (another 1 to 4 km/s); (3) mid-course correction burns; (4) gravity losses during the burns. For Earth-to-Mars, the total mission delta-v from LEO is typically 5.6 to 6.2 km/s versus the heliocentric 5.6 km/s.
How do I calculate the delta-v for a lunar transfer (LEO to lunar orbit)?
Using the Orbit Around a Body mode with Earth as the central body: r1 = Earth radius + 400 km = 6778.1 km, r2 = Earth radius + 384000 km (approximate lunar distance as an altitude above Earth center) = 390378 km. This gives dv1 = 3.14 km/s and dv2 = 0.83 km/s, total 3.97 km/s. Note: this is a simplified two-body calculation; actual lunar missions use patched-conic or full n-body models to account for the Moon's gravity sphere of influence.
Why does the second burn cost less delta-v than the first burn in LEO to GEO transfers?
In the LEO-to-GEO Hohmann transfer: the first burn accelerates from 7669 m/s (LEO) to 10,066 m/s (transfer orbit perigee), requiring dv1 = 2397 m/s. The second burn circularizes at GEO from the transfer orbit apogee (1618 m/s) to the circular GEO velocity (3074 m/s), requiring dv2 = 1456 m/s. The second burn is smaller because the spacecraft is deep in Earth's gravity well for the first burn and far away (weaker gravity, lower orbital speeds) for the second burn.
Can a Hohmann transfer be used for orbit lowering?
Yes. A reverse Hohmann transfer (also called a de-orbit or descent transfer) uses two retrograde burns. The first retrograde burn at the initial orbit lowers the apoapsis to the target altitude, and the second retrograde burn at the lower orbit circularizes. The delta-v magnitudes are identical to the ascending Hohmann by symmetry; only the direction changes. This calculator computes |delta-v| for both ascending and descending transfers with the same formula.
How does the Hohmann transfer time scale with orbit size?
Transfer time t = pi x sqrt(((r1+r2)/2)^3 / mu). For fixed r1, t scales with r2 as r2^(3/2) for large r2. Doubling r2 multiplies the transfer time by 2^(3/2) = 2.83. From LEO at r1 = 6778 km: to GEO at r2 = 42164 km takes 5.3 hours; to lunar distance at r2 = 384400 km takes about 4.7 days; to a heliocentric orbit would take years. This steep scaling is why outer planet missions are multi-year endeavors even with the minimum energy Hohmann path.
What is the synodic period and how does it determine launch windows?
The synodic period is the time between successive launch windows for a Hohmann transfer. It is the time for the two planets to return to the required phase angle for departure. Synodic period = 1 / |1/T1 - 1/T2| where T1 and T2 are the orbital periods of the two planets. For Earth (T=1 yr) and Mars (T=1.881 yr): synodic period = 1/(1-1/1.881) = 2.135 years = 26 months. For Earth-Venus (T=0.615 yr): synodic period = 1/(1-1/0.615) = 1.6 years = about 19 months.