Small Spacecraft in Planetary Defence Related Applications–Capabilities, Constraints, Challenges

  • In this paper we present an overview of the characteristics and peculiarities of small spacecraft missions related to planetary defence applications. We provide a brief overview of small spacecraft missions to small solar system bodies. On this background we present recent missions and selected projects and related studies at the German Aerospace Center, DLR, that contribute to planetary defence related activities. These range from Earth orbit technology demonstrators to active science missions in interplanetary space. We provide a summary of experience from recently flown missions with DLR participation as well as a number of studies. These include PHILAE, the lander recently arrived on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko aboard ESA’s ROSETTA comet rendezvous mission, and the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, MASCOT, now underway to near-Earth asteroid (162173) 1999 JU3 aboard the Japanese sample-return probe HAYABUSA-2. We introduce the differences between the conventional methods employed in the design, integration and testing of large spacecraft and the new approaches developed by small spacecraft projects. We expect that the practical experience that can be gained from projects on extremely compressed timelines or with high-intensity operation phases on a newly explored small solar system body can contribute significantly to the study, preparation and realization of future planetary defence related missions. One is AIDA (Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment), a joint effort of ESA,JHU/APL, NASA, OCA and DLR, combining JHU/APL’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) and ESA’s AIM (Asteroid Impact Monitor) spacecraft in a mission towards near-Eath binary asteroid (65803) Didymos.

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Metadaten
Author:Jan Thimo Grundmann, Caroline Lange, Bernd DachwaldORCiD, Christian Grimm, Aaron Koch, Stephan Ulamec
Parent Title (English):IEEE Aerospace Conference
Document Type:Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Year of Completion:2015
Tag:asteroid lander; flotilla missions; planetary defence; small spacecraft; solar sail
Length:18
First Page:1
Last Page:18
Note:
2015 IEEE Aerospace Conference, 7.-13. Mar. 2015, Big Sky, Montana, USA.
Link:https://elib.dlr.de/103077/1/SmallSpacecraftInPlanetaryDefence_paper_IEEE2015_2015-01-22_2204_ID2363_TK-SN-SQ2-1211_READBACK.pdf
Zugriffsart:weltweit
Institutes:FH Aachen / Fachbereich Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik
FH Aachen / IfB - Institut für Bioengineering