Mission Design and Navigation Solutions for Uranus Aerocapture

Citations Over TimeTop 11% of 2024 papers

Abstract

The 2022 Planetary Science Decadal Survey released by the National Academies of Science identified the exploration of Uranus as the highest priority new Flagship mission. The proposed mission is based on a launch date between 2031 and 2032, uses a fully-propulsive orbit insertion maneuver at Uranus, and reaches the planet after 13 years of interplanetary cruise and before the 2050 equinox, a goal of the science community. This is an increasingly difficult timeline to achieve, with limited less favorable launch opportunities later in the 2030s. Alternatively, aerocapture is an orbit insertion maneuver that utilizes the atmosphere to decelerate, thus minimizing the required propellant load for achieving a captured orbit. This, in turn, results in a reduced launch mass, potentially enabling the use of a smaller launch vehicle or allowing for the allocation of more mass to scientific instruments. Furthermore, aerocapture can achieve an extremely high deceleration, enabling higher arrival velocities which in turn shortens cruise times by several years and extends launch opportunity windows. This paper discusses the technical details of trajectory design and navigation for a Flagship-class mission to Uranus using the benefits of aerocapture.

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