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A novel approach for optimal trajectory design with multiple operation modes of propulsion system, part 2
Taheri, Ehsan; Junkins, John L.; Kolmanovsky, Ilya +1 more
Equipping a spacecraft with multiple solar-powered electric engines (of the same or different types) compounds the task of optimal trajectory design due to presence of both real-valued inputs (power input to each engine in addition to the direction of thrust vector) and discrete variables (number of active engines). Each engine can be switched on/…
Electric sails are potentially more effective than light sails near most stars
Lingam, Manasvi; Loeb, Abraham
Electric sails are propulsion systems that generate momentum via the deflection of stellar wind particles through electric forces. Here, we investigate the relative merits of electric sails and light sails driven by stellar radiation pressure for F-, G-, K- and M-type stellar systems. We show that electric sails originating near M-dwarfs could att…
Structural shock verification by numerical analysis of the EPD payload units on board Solar Orbiter spacecraft
Ravanbakhsh, Ali; García-Pérez, Andrés; Sorribes-Palmer, Félix +1 more
Electronic components can be seriously damaged during the launch of spacecraft due to the intense shock loads, which are generated by the launch operations such as the separations of the launcher stages and the release of the spacecraft. A shock verification program should be carried out in the development phase of space instruments to guarantee t…
BepiColombo mission to Mercury: First year of flight
Montagnon, Elsa; Ferri, Paolo; Accomazzo, Andrea +1 more
Launched in October 2018, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission is set to arrive at Mercury in late 2025. The modular S/C consists of two scientific Mercury orbiters and a cruise module with electric propulsion to support the 7-years cruise phase with planetary flybys at Earth (1x), Venus (2x) and Mercury (6x). Flight operations of the composite spacec…
Pattern recognition in time series for space missions: A rosetta magnetic field case study
Glassmeier, K. -H.; Richter, I.; Ostaszewski, K. +4 more
Time series analysis is a technique widely employed in space science. In unpredictable environments like space, scientific analysis relies on large data sets to enable interpretation of observations. Artificial signal interferences caused by the spacecraft itself further impede this process. The most time consuming part of these studies is the eff…
General relativistic impact on the precision of BepiColombo gravity-assists
Yefremov, Alexander P.
The general relativistic (GR) impact is assessed on the precision of the announced BepiColombo (BC) space positions at the Earth, Venus and Mercury flyby points providing planned gravity-assists. Apart of the known elliptic orbit precession, another recently specified for the Schwarzschild-Kerr metric effect of the ellipse axes contraction is cons…