Abstract The baseline Venera-D mission, proposed to be launched after 2026, consists of an orbiter and a landing module, which includes a lander and a small long-lived station. In this work, we present the possibility of augmenting the mission with one or two micro-spacecraft in Lagrange point orbits to significantly enhance the science return. Both and collinear points, situated at about 1 million km from Venus, are considered for scientific objectives. The paper focuses on trajectory design for the micro-spacecraft to be deployed by the Venera-D mission. The transfer scenario we propose performs the insertion of micro-spacecraft into Lagrange point orbit by making use of the main orbiter’s propulsion, while the propulsion on board micro-spacecraft is used only for trajectory correction and station-keeping manoeuvres. This scenario allows the Venera-D mission to add one or two micro-spacecraft of mass about 50 kg with only a total budget 30 m/s over 3 years on orbit.
Micro-spacecraft in Sun-Venus Lagrange point orbit for the Venera-D mission
Advances in Space Research ; 66 , 1 ; 21-28
2019-10-14
8 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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