Transfer to Gilly
The last objective was to rendezvous with Gilly, Eve's tiny moon. However, due its considerable orbital eccentricity and its diminute gravitational pull, Gilly transfer requires careful planning.
Because of the limited fuel, mission planners had to wait until Gilly passed its apoapsis and came back for a closer approach, with Gilly's Recon Orbiter stading by in its parking orbit.
The, with just enough fuel to make the trip, the satellite's booster stage started its transfer burn.
After completing the burn, the booster stage was jettisoned and the Gilly Recon Orbiter continued on its way. The trip took more than a day.
Gilly's sphere of influence is so small that the spacecraft would spend only 14 minutes in it before escaping again, and its trajectory was hardly altered by the asteroid's tiny gravitational pull.
The insertion and circularization burns used most of the satellite's remaining fuel.
The tiny asteroid could now be surveyed from low altitude.
The Eve Express mission had successfully completed all its objectives!
