Flights are Ten a Sail – Re-use and Commonality in the Design and System Engineering of Small Spacecraft Solar Sail Missions with Modular Hardware for Responsive and Adaptive Exploration

Paper number

IAC-19,B4,8,12,x53800

Author

Mr. Jan Thimo Grundmann, Germany, DLR (German Aerospace Center)

Coauthor

Dr. Waldemar Bauer, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Coauthor

Mr. Ralf Boden, Japan, Department of Engineering ,The University of Tokyo

Coauthor

Dr. Matteo Ceriotti, United Kingdom, University of Glasgow

Coauthor

Ms. Suditi Chand, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Institute of Space Systems

Coauthor

Mr. Federico Cordero, Germany, VEGA Space GmbH

Coauthor

Prof. Bernd Dachwald, Germany, FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences

Coauthor

Mr. Etienne Dumont, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Coauthor

Mr. Christian Grimm, Germany, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Bremen, Germany

Coauthor

Dr. Jeannette Heiligers, The Netherlands, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

Coauthor

Mr. David Hercik, Germany, Technical University of Braunschweig

Coauthor

Mr. Alain Herique, France, Institut de Planet. et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble IPAG/PLANETO

Coauthor

Dr. Tra Mi Ho, Germany, DLR (German Aerospace Center)

Coauthor

Mr. Rico Jahnke, Germany, DLR Institute of Space Systems, Bremen, Germany, University of Padova

Coauthor

Prof. Wlodek Kofman, France, Institut de Planet. et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble IPAG/PLANETO

Coauthor

Mrs. Caroline Lange, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Coauthor

Mr. Roy Lichtenheldt, Germany, DLR (German Aerospace Center)

Coauthor

Prof. Colin R. McInnes, United Kingdom, University of Glasgow

Coauthor

Mr. Jan-Gerd Meß, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt

Coauthor

Mr. Tobias Mikschl, Germany, University of Würzburg

Coauthor

Mr. Eugen Mikulz, Germany, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Bremen, Germany

Coauthor

Dr. Sergio Montenegro, Germany, University Würzburg

Coauthor

Mr. Iain Moore, United Kingdom, University of Glasgow

Coauthor

Dr. Ivanka Pelivan, Germany, Fraunhofer – Institut für Nachrichtensysteme, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI)

Coauthor

Dr. Alessandro Peloni, United Kingdom, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow

Coauthor

Dr. Dirk Plettemeier, Germany, Technical University Dresden

Coauthor

Mr. Dominik Quantius, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Coauthor

Mr. Siebo Reershemius, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Coauthor

Mr. Thomas Renger, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Institute of Space Systems

Coauthor

Mr. Johannes Riemann, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Institute of Space Systems

Coauthor

Mr. Yves Rogez, France, Universite Grenoble Alpes, CNRS

Coauthor

Mr. Michael Ruffer, Germany, University of Würzburg

Coauthor

Mr. Kaname Sasaki, Germany, DLR (German Aerospace Center)

Coauthor

Ms. Nicole Schmitz, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Coauthor

Dr. Wolfgang Seboldt, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Coauthor

Dr. Patric Seefeldt, Germany, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Bremen

Coauthor

Dr. Peter Spietz, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Coauthor

Mr. Tom Sproewitz, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Coauthor

Dr. Maciej Sznajder, Germany, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Bremen

Coauthor

Mr. Norbert Toth, Germany

Coauthor

Ms. Merel Vergaaij, The Netherlands, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

Coauthor

Ms. Giulia Viavattene, United Kingdom, University of Glasgow

Coauthor

Ms. Wejmo Elisabet, Germany, DLR, German Aerospace Center

Coauthor

Dr. Carsten Wiedemann, Germany, TU Braunschweig, Institute of Space Systems

Coauthor

Ms. Friederike Wolff, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt

Coauthor

Mr. Christian Ziach, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Year

2019

Abstract

The exploration of small solar system bodies started with fast fly-bys of opportunity on the sidelines of missions to the planets. The tiny new worlds seen turned out to be so intriguing and different from all else (and each other) that dedicated sample-return and in-situ analysis missions were developed and launched. Through these, highly efficient low-thrust propulsion expanded from commercial use into mainstream and flagship science missions, there in combination with gravity assists. In parallel, the growth of small spacecraft solutions accelerated in numbers as well as individual spacecraft capabilities. The on-going missions OSIRIS-REx (NASA) or Hayabusa2 (JAXA) with its landers MINERVA-II and MASCOT, and the upcoming NEAscout mission are examples of this synergy of trends.
The continuation of these and other related devlopments towards a propellant-less and highly efficient class of spacecraft for solar system exploration emerges in the form of small spacecraft solar sails designed for carefree handling and equipped with carried landers and application modules. These address the needs of all asteroid user communities – planetary science, planetary defence, and in-situ resource utilization – as well as other fields of solar system science and applications such as space weather warning and solar observations.
Already the DLR-ESTEC GOSSAMER Roadmap for Solar Sailing initiated studies of missions uniquely feasible with solar sails such as Displaced L1 (DL1) space weather advance warning and monitoring and Solar Polar Orbiter (SPO) delivery, which demonstrate the capabilities of near-term solar sails to reach any kind of orbit in the inner solar system. This enables Multiple Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) rendezvous missions (MNR), from Earth-coorbital to extremely inclined and even retrograde target orbits. 
For these mission types using separable payloads, design concepts can be derived from the separable Boom Sail Deployment Units characteristic of DLR GOSSAMER solar sail technology, nanolanders like MASCOT, or microlanders like the JAXA-DLR Jupiter Trojan Asteroid Lander for the OKEANOS mission which can shuttle from the sail to the targets visited and enable multiple NEA sample-return missions. These nanospacecraft scale components are an ideal match creating solar sails in micro-spacecraft format whose launch configurations are compatible with secondary payload platforms such as ESPA and ASAP.
The DLR GOSSAMER solar sail technology builds on the experience gained in the development of deployable membrane structures leading up to the successful ground deployment test of a (20 m)² solar sail at DLR Cologne in 1999 and in the 20 years since.

Abstract document

IAC-19,B4,8,12,x53800.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-19,B4,8,12,x53800.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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