Symmetric constellations of satellites moving around a central body of large mass (Q6161077)

The use of variational methods to search for periodic solutions of the 3-body problem can be traced back to Poincaré. In the last two decades several new periodic solutions of the Newtonian \(N\)-body problem have been found by direct methods of calculus of variations. In this paper, the authors consider a \((1 + N)\)-body problem in which one particle has mass \(m_0 \gg 1\) and the remaining \(N\) have unitary mass. Imposing symmetry and topological constraints, the authors search for periodic orbits of this system by variational method and they also use \( \Gamma \)-convergence theory to study the asymptotic behaviour of these orbits, as the mass of the central body increases. Based on this theory, they can understand the motion of the satellites for large values of \(m_0\). In the end, they consider some examples with special symmetry.