A mission concept for the low-cost large-scale exploration and characterisation of near earth objects. Issue 11 (1st June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Walker, Lewis; Di Carlo, Marilena; Greco, Cristian; Vasile, Massimiliano; Warden, Matthew
• Is Part Of: Advances in space research. Volume 67:Issue 11(2021)
• Page Start: 3880
• Page End: 3908
• Publication Date: 2021-06-01
• Subjects: Near Earth asteroid -- Formation flight -- Flyby -- Radioscience; Space sciences -- Periodicals; Astronautics -- Periodicals; Geophysics -- Periodicals; 500.505
• DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2020.10.038
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0273-1177

Abstract

Abstract: This paper presents the preliminary mission and science analysis of a new mission concept for the large scale, low-cost exploration of Near Earth Objects (NEOs). The concept is to enable close range observations of NEOs by performing close flybys of a series of NEOs at one of their nodal points, with pairs of small spacecraft flying in formation. The paper presents a preliminary assessment of accessible asteroids and multi-target tour trajectories from data available in the JPL small-body database. The main instruments on board each spacecraft are a camera and a LIDAR which together can be used for orbit determination, surface imaging, direct asteroid ranging and asteroid mass estimation via intersatellite ranging. The paper provides a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the measurable quantities during each flyby. In particular, the feasibility of a novel method of NEO mass estimation is assessed.