What series of orbital maneuvers are encompassed in the Hohmann transfer to GEO?

• A. Launch into an initial orbit in LEO; Conduct a delta-V at apogee to circularize and reduce inclination to zero degrees; Then depart to GEO.
• B. Manufacture the satellite; Ship it to the launch site; Mate it to the space-lift boosters; Transfer the space-lift assembly to the launch pad.
• C. Launch into an initial orbit in LEO; Conduct a delta-V, thrusting the satellite to MEO; Conduct a delta-V to an altitude of approximately 36,000 km.
• D. Launch into an initial orbit in LEO; Conduct a delta-V, thrusting the satellite into a circular GEO; Deploy solar sails to reach GEO.

Answer: (B)

A Hohmann transfer to GEO is a two-burn, minimum-energy path that uses a geocentric elliptical transfer orbit. Start in a circular low Earth orbit, then perform a burn to place the spacecraft on an ellipse whose perigee stays in LEO and whose apogee reaches the geostationary radius. When you reach that apogee, perform a second burn to circularize into GEO. If you need to match inclination, you’d typically handle a plane change in a way that minimizes delta-V, often before the transfer or combined with one of the burns, but the essential sequence is two impulses that take you from LEO to a transfer orbit and then from that transfer orbit to GEO. The other options describe processes that aren’t how the standard Hohmann transfer to GEO works (such as manufacturing steps, or moving to MEO, or deploying sails), so they don’t reflect the actual maneuver sequence.