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Glossary / Lagrange Points
Orbits

Lagrange Points

Five positions in a two-body gravitational system where a small object can maintain a stable position relative to the two larger bodies.

Lagrange points are five specific positions in the gravitational field of two large bodies (such as the Earth and Moon, or the Earth and Sun) where a smaller object experiences balanced gravitational forces, allowing it to maintain a relatively fixed position. L1, L2, and L3 are unstable equilibria along the line connecting the two bodies, while L4 and L5 form stable equilibria at 60-degree angles ahead of and behind the smaller body.

The Sun-Earth L2 point, 1.5 million km from Earth, hosts the James Webb Space Telescope and is prized for its thermal stability. The Earth-Moon L1 and L2 points are of growing interest as staging areas for cislunar operations, potential refueling depots, and communication relay stations for the far side of the Moon.

Related Terms

Cislunar Space
Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO)
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