ASTER (spacecraft)

Last updated
ASTER
Mission typeTechnology, reconnaissance
Operator Brazilian Space Agency (AEB)
Mission durationCruise phase: 1.8 years
Science phase: 4 months [1]
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftASTER
Bus MetNet [1]
Manufacturer Brazilian Space Agency and its Brazilian partners
Launch mass150 kg (330 lb), including 66 kg (146 lb) xenon propellant [2]
Dry mass89 kg (196 lb)
Payload mass30 kg (66 lb) [2]
Power2.1 kW [3]
Start of mission
Launch dateJune 2025 [2]
Asteroid 2001 SN263 orbiter
Orbital insertionSeptember 2027 [1]
Instruments
Imaging camera, laser rangefinder, infrared spectrometer, synthetic aperture radar, mass spectrometer

ASTER is a planned space mission under development by the Brazilian Space Agency that will launch a spacecraft to orbit a near-Earth object known as (153591) 2001 SN263 , a triple asteroid system. The launch is scheduled for 2025, with a rendezvous in 2024/2027. [2]

Contents

According to de Brum et al. 2021, [4] the launch is planned for June 2022 (asteroid arrival in December 2024) or June 2025 (arrival September 2027).

The mission is not on the list of projects considered by the AEB for the 2022-2031 period. [5] Nor was the list of projects from 2005-2014 or 2012-2021. [6] [7]

Overview

Brazil is promoting STEM at its universities and technological industries by engaging in the first Brazilian deep space mission and developing all the science instrument payloads, attitude control and navigation systems, as well as solar electric propulsion. [3] [8] [9] The mission was originally intended in 2010 for a 2014 launch, [10] then pushed back to 2015, [3] [9] to 2020, [1] and is currently set for launch in 2022/2025. [2] As of 2017, the estimated budget is of US$60 million. [1]

The spacecraft is designed around the small Russian-Finnish spacecraft bus known as MetNet, [1] with a total fueled mass of 150 kg (330 lb). [2] [9] The spacecraft features four solar electric thrusters developed by Brazil. The engines are Hall effect thrusters powered by solar panels made out of gallium arsenide that are capable of generating up to 2.1 kW. [3] From this, 110 W will be available to science instruments. [2]

The target is 2001 SN263 , a triple asteroid system in the Amor asteroid group. The ASTER mission team leaders are Antonio Gil Vicente de Brum, Marcelo Assafin, Flávio C. Cruz, and Álvaro Alberto Cuccolo. [3]

Objectives

The primary objective of ASTER project is to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at its universities and technological industries by engaging in the first Brazilian deep space mission. [8] Since 2010, Brazil has been developing the desired science instrument payloads, attitude control and navigation systems, [3] as well as a novel solar electric propulsion engine with reduced energy requirements.

The science objectives include measurements of the bulk properties of the triple asteroid system (size, shape, volume, density, dynamics, spin state, and rotation speed), the internal properties (structure, mass distribution, gravitational field) and surface properties (mineral composition, morphology, elemental composition). [1] [3] [8]

ASTER may carry an astrobiology experiment to determine the viability of some selected microorganisms in deep space, and it may also measure the deep space plasma environment along the trajectory. [8]

Science payload

The 30 kg (66 lb) science payload consists of: [3] [8] [9]

Solar electric propulsion

Permanent Magnet Hall Thruster
(PMHT) [2]
Units
Designer University of Brasília
Number of thrusters4 (two are spares)
Power from solar panelsAverage: 2.0 kW [3]
Power consumption450 W per thruster
Thrust40 mN per thruster
Specific impulse (Isp)2,300 seconds
Thruster dimensionsDiameter: 15 cm (5.9 in)
Length: 10 cm (3.9 in)
Mass: 4.5 kg (9.9 lb)
Propellant66 kg (146 lb) of xenon

The spacecraft features a type of solar electric propulsion based on the Hall effect thruster. The thruster was developed by the Plasma Physics Laboratory at the University of Brasília (LFP-UnB). The engineers created a modification that employs an array of permanent magnets to produce a radial magnetic field inside the plasma channel of the thruster to accelerate the xenon propellant ions and generate thrust. Bench tests in vacuum indicate that the use of permanent magnets reduces the electrical power consumption by 30%, which allows for the use of smaller and lighter solar panels. [2] The Brazilian engineers named it Permanent Magnet Hall Thruster, or PMHT. [2]

The spacecraft architecture plans to mount four PMHT plasma thrusters, where two will be spares. All four thrusters operating simultaneously produce 160 mN, although the ASTER mission can be performed with thrust in the interval between 80 mN to 120 mN of total thrust. [2]

The spacecraft will be launched to low Earth orbit (approximately 400 km altitude), where it will then use its plasma thrusters to increase its speed and raise its elliptical orbit until it reaches escape velocity for an heliocentric transfer to the asteroid. Complex modeling was done to determine techniques to safely orbit the triple system at close range. [11]

Target asteroid system

The 2001 SN263 triple asteroid system is a carbonaceous (C-type asteroid) from the Amor asteroid group. [8] Such asteroids hold clues of the initial stages of planetary formation and also the origin of water and abiogenesis on Earth. [8] The main central body is an irregular object with a diameter about 2.8 km, while the other two are small objects 1.1 km and 0.4 km across. [2] [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Deep Space 1</i> NASA flyby mission to asteroid Braille and Comet Borrelly (1998–2001)

Deep Space 1 (DS1) was a NASA technology demonstration spacecraft which flew by an asteroid and a comet. It was part of the New Millennium Program, dedicated to testing advanced technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spacecraft propulsion</span> Method used to accelerate spacecraft

Spacecraft propulsion is any method used to accelerate spacecraft and artificial satellites. In-space propulsion exclusively deals with propulsion systems used in the vacuum of space and should not be confused with space launch or atmospheric entry.

<i>NEAR Shoemaker</i> American space probe to asteroid (1996–2001)

Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous – Shoemaker, renamed after its 1996 launch in honor of planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker, was a robotic space probe designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA to study the near-Earth asteroid Eros from close orbit over a period of a year. It was the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid and land on it successfully. In February 2000, the mission closed in on the asteroid and orbited it. On February 12, 2001, Shoemaker touched down on the asteroid and was terminated just over two weeks later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ion thruster</span> Spacecraft engine that generates thrust by generating a jet of ions

An ion thruster, ion drive, or ion engine is a form of electric propulsion used for spacecraft propulsion. An ion thruster creates a cloud of positive ions from a neutral gas by ionizing it to extract some electrons from its atoms. The ions are then accelerated using electricity to create thrust. Ion thrusters are categorized as either electrostatic or electromagnetic.

Beam-powered propulsion, also known as directed energy propulsion, is a class of aircraft or spacecraft propulsion that uses energy beamed to the spacecraft from a remote power plant to provide energy. The beam is typically either a microwave or a laser beam, and it is either pulsed or continuous. A continuous beam lends itself to thermal rockets, photonic thrusters, and light sails. In contrast, a pulsed beam lends itself to ablative thrusters and pulse detonation engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian Space Agency</span> Space program agency of Brazil

The Brazilian Space Agency is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for the country's space program. It operates a spaceport at Alcântara, and a rocket launch site at Barreira do Inferno. It is the largest and most prominent space agency in Latin America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laser propulsion</span> Form of beam-powered propulsion

Laser propulsion is a form of beam-powered propulsion where the energy source is a remote laser system and separate from the reaction mass. This form of propulsion differs from a conventional chemical rocket where both energy and reaction mass come from the solid or liquid propellants carried on board the vehicle.

<i>Dawn</i> (spacecraft) NASA orbiter mission to asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres (2007–2018)

Dawn is a retired space probe that was launched by NASA in September 2007 with the mission of studying two of the three known protoplanets of the asteroid belt: Vesta and Ceres. In the fulfillment of that mission—the ninth in NASA's Discovery Program—Dawn entered orbit around Vesta on July 16, 2011, and completed a 14-month survey mission before leaving for Ceres in late 2012. It entered orbit around Ceres on March 6, 2015. In 2017, NASA announced that the planned nine-year mission would be extended until the probe's hydrazine fuel supply was depleted. On November 1, 2018, NASA announced that Dawn had depleted its hydrazine, and the mission was ended. The derelict probe remains in a stable orbit around Ceres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar electric propulsion</span> High efficiency engine for space travel

Solar electric propulsion (SEP) refers to the combination of solar cells and electric thrusters to propel a spacecraft through outer space. This technology has been exploited in a variety of spacecraft designs by the European Space Agency (ESA), the JAXA, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NASA. SEP has a significantly higher specific impulse than chemical rocket propulsion, thus requiring less propellant mass to be launched with a spacecraft. The technology has been evaluated for missions to Mars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spacecraft electric propulsion</span> Type of space propulsion using electrostatic and electromagnetic fields for acceleration

Spacecraft electric propulsion is a type of spacecraft propulsion technique that uses electrostatic or electromagnetic fields to accelerate mass to high speed and thus generating thrust to modify the velocity of a spacecraft in orbit. The propulsion system is controlled by power electronics.

<span class="nowrap">(153591) 2001 SN<sub>263</sub></span> Near-Earth asteroid

(153591) 2001 SN263 is a carbonaceous trinary asteroid, classified as near-Earth object and former potentially hazardous asteroid of the Amor group, approximately 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) in diameter. It was discovered by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research project at Lincoln Lab's Experimental Test Site in Socorro, New Mexico, on 20 September 2001. The two synchronous minor-planet moons measure approximately 770 and 430 meters and have an orbital period of 16.46 and 150 hours, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteroid Redirect Mission</span> 2013–2017 proposed NASA space mission

The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), also known as the Asteroid Retrieval and Utilization (ARU) mission and the Asteroid Initiative, was a space mission proposed by NASA in 2013; the mission was later cancelled. The Asteroid Retrieval Robotic Mission (ARRM) spacecraft would rendezvous with a large near-Earth asteroid and use robotic arms with anchoring grippers to retrieve a 4-meter boulder from the asteroid.

<i>Psyche</i> (spacecraft) Reconnaissance mission of the main belt asteroid 16 Psyche

Psyche is a NASA Discovery Program space mission launched on October 13, 2023 to explore the origin of planetary cores by orbiting and studying the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche beginning in 2029. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages the project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double Asteroid Redirection Test</span> 2021 NASA planetary defense mission

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was a NASA space mission aimed at testing a method of planetary defense against near-Earth objects (NEOs). It was designed to assess how much a spacecraft impact deflects an asteroid through its transfer of momentum when hitting the asteroid head-on. The selected target asteroid, Dimorphos, is a minor-planet moon of the asteroid Didymos; neither asteroid poses an impact threat to Earth, but their joint characteristics made them an ideal benchmarking target. Launched on 24 November 2021, the DART spacecraft successfully collided with Dimorphos on 26 September 2022 at 23:14 UTC about 11 million kilometers from Earth. The collision shortened Dimorphos' orbit by 32 minutes, greatly in excess of the pre-defined success threshold of 73 seconds. DART's success in deflecting Dimorphos was due to the momentum transfer associated with the recoil of the ejected debris, which was substantially larger than that caused by the impact itself.

<i>Team Miles</i> US experimental communications and plasma propulsion spacecraft

Team Miles was a 6U CubeSat that was to demonstrate navigation in deep space using innovative plasma thrusters. It was also to test a software-defined radio operating in the S-band for communications from about 4 million kilometers from Earth. Team Miles was one of ten CubeSats launched with the Artemis 1 mission into a heliocentric orbit in cislunar space on the maiden flight of the Space Launch System (SLS), that took place on 16 November 2022. Team Miles was deployed but contact was not established with the spacecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EQUULEUS</span> Japanese nanosatellite

EQUULEUS is a nanosatellite of the 6U CubeSat format that will measure the distribution of plasma that surrounds the Earth (plasmasphere) to help scientists understand the radiation environment in that region. It will also demonstrate low-thrust trajectory control techniques, such as multiple lunar flybys, within the Earth-Moon region using water steam as propellant. The spacecraft was designed and developed jointly by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the University of Tokyo.

NASA's Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) Project is a series of tech demonstrations of technologies aboard a series of nanosatellites known as CubeSats, providing significant enhancements to the performance of these versatile spacecraft. Each of the five planned PTD missions consist of a 6-unit (6U) CubeSat with expandable solar arrays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power and Propulsion Element</span> Power and propulsion module for the Gateway space station

The Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), previously known as the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle propulsion system, is a planned solar electric ion propulsion module being developed by Maxar Technologies for NASA. It is one of the major components of the Lunar Gateway. The PPE will allow access to the entire lunar surface and a wide range of lunar orbits and double as a space tug for visiting craft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galileo Solar Space Telescope</span>

Galileo Solar Space Telescope – Multi-mission Platform (GSST-PMM) is a mission proposed by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) that aims to precisely measure the solar radiation at the top of the Earth's atmosphere, the magnetic field in the photosphere and the upper solar atmosphere.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Reviewed plan of the ALR, the laser rangefinder for the ASTER deep space mission to the triple asteroid 2001-SN263. A. G. V. de Brum, F. C. da Cruz. XVIII Brazilian Colloquium on Orbital Dynamics (2016). Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 911 (2017) doi : 10.1088/1742-6596/911/1/012016
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Ferreira, José Leonardo; Martins, Alexandre A.; Miranda, Rodrigo Andres; O. C., Helbert Jr.; Silva, Alvaro Q. D. R.; Ferreira, Ivan Soares; Sukhanov, Alexander; Winter, Othon Cabo (October 2017). Development of a Solar Electric Propulsion System for the First Brazilian Deep Space Mission (PDF). 35th International Electric Propulsion Conference. Georgia Institute of Technology. IEPC-2017-166. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 August 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Preliminary Development Plan of the ALR, the Laser Rangefinder for the ASTER Deep Space Mission to the 2001 SN263 Asteroid (Archived). (PDF) Antonio Gil Vicente de Brum. 2011. doi : 10.5028/jatm.2011.03033611
  4. de Brum, Antonio G. V.; Hussmann, Hauke; Wickhusen, Kai; Stark, Alexander (2021-01-01). "Encounter trajectories for deep space mission ASTER to the triple near Earth asteroid 2001-SN263. The laser altimeter (ALR) point of view". Advances in Space Research. 67 (1): 648–661. Bibcode:2021AdSpR..67..648D. doi:10.1016/j.asr.2020.10.042. ISSN   0273-1177.
  5. Brasileira, Agência Espacial (2023). Programa Nacional de Atividades Espaciais – PNAE 2022-2031 (in Brazilian Portuguese) (2 ed.). Brasília: Agência Espacial Brasileira. p. 91. ISBN   978-65-980268-1-3.
  6. Brasileira, Agência Espacial (2005). Programa Nacional de Atividades Espaciais – PNAE 2005-2014 (PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Brasilia: Agência Espacial Brasileira. p. 114.
  7. Brasileira, Agência Espacial (2012). Programa Nacional de Atividades Espaciais – PNAE 2012-2021 (PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Brasilia: Agência Espacial Brasileira. p. 36.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ASTER: A Brazilian Mission to an Asteroid. (PDF) O. C. Winter, E. E. N. Macau, H. de Campos Velho, V. Carruba1, and the Scientific and Engineering Payload ASTER Team.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 The ASTER Mission: Exploring for the First Time a Triple System Asteroid. (PDF) Elbert E.N. Macau, Othon Winter, Haroldo Fraga de Campos Velho. January 2011
  10. ASTER Mission: First Brazilian Deep Space Mission, planned to be launched in 2014. The Aster Project: Flight to a Near Earth Asteroid. A. A. Sukhanov, H. F. DE C. Velho, E. E. Macau, O. C. Winter. Cosmic Research, 2010, Vol. 48, No. 5, pp. 443–450
  11. ASTER Mission: Stability regions around the triple asteroid 2001 SN263. (PDF) O. C. Winter, R. A. N. Araujo, A. F. B. A. Prado, A. Sukhanov. 2011