  A new shape-based geometric method (SBGM) is proposed for generation of
multi-impulse transfer trajectories between arbitrary coplanar oblique orbits
via a heuristic algorithm. The key advantage of the proposed SBGM includes a
significant reduction in the number of design variables for an N-impulse
orbital maneuver leading to a lower computational effort and energy
requirement. The SBGM generates a smooth transfer trajectory by joining a
number of confocal elliptic arcs such that the intersections share common
tangent directions. It is proven that the well-known classic Hohmann transfer
and its bi-elliptic counterpart between circular orbits are special cases of
the proposed SBGM. The performance and efficiency of the proposed approach is
evaluated via computer simulations whose results are compared with those of
optimal Lambert maneuver and traditional methods. The results demonstrate a
good compatibility and superiority of the proposed SBGM in terms of required
energy effort and computational efficiency.
