171248 20260515163946.0 doi 10.1016/j.asr.2026.03.036 sideral 149256 ART-2026-149256 eng Elipe, Antonio Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0001-5208-4494 Periodic orbit families around slow-rotating dipole-segment bodies: The case of the asteroid Itokawa 2026 The Dipole-Segment (DS) model has proven to be a useful approximation for representing the gravitational potential of elongated asteroids with end-point protrusions. The model consists of a massive rod with two spherical masses attached at its extremities, rotating about its center of mass with uniform angular velocity. The potential function depends on three parameters, one of which, K, is associated with the rotation rate. The dynamical behavior of the system therefore varies significantly between fast- and slow-rotating bodies. This work provides a comprehensive dynamical characterization of the DS model applied to a slow-rotating asteroid. As a case study, we consider asteroid (25143) Itokawa, for which we compute a complete family map of symmetric periodic orbits and assess their stability properties; these are then compared with analogous families of periodic orbits of the Restricted Three-Body Problem. Furthermore, we identify heteroclinic connections between unstable isosceles equilibria. These results demonstrate that slow rotation gives rise to a significantly richer dynamical structure than previously observed for moderate–to–fast rotations, highlighting the relevance of rotational effects in mission design around small irregular bodies. Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/E24-26R info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICIU/PID2024-156002NB-I00 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by-nc-nd https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Ferreira, Alessandra F.S. Abad, Alberto (orcid)0000-0002-5692-5876 2005 595 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Matemática Aplicada Área Matemática Aplicada 77, 9 (2026), 9105-9126 Adv. space res. Advances in Space Research 0273-1177 6995711 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/171248/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2382470 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/171248/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:171248 articulos driver 2026-05-15-14:55:55 ARTICLE