Gossamer Roadmap Technology Reference Study for a Multiple NEO Rendezvous Mission

Solar-Sail Trajectory Design for a Multiple Near-Earth-Asteroid Rendezvous Mission

“…With respect to solar sails, most of the literature focuses on single-phase problems, while two of the few work on multiphase solar-sail trajectories are the ENEAS+ mission studies [1] and the Gossamer Roadmap technology reference study presented by Dachwald et al [16]. In both cases, a systematic assessment of all possible asteroids to be visited in a multiple rendezvous mission has not been carried out.…”

Spacecraft for Hypervelocity Impact Research – An Overview of Capabilities, Constraints and the Challenges of Getting There

“…In its solar sail application it is the first step in the DLR-ESTEC GOSSAMER Roadmap for the development of solar sail technology, leading to practical sailcraft of sizes enabling unique science missions that are presently exceedingly difficult to achieve or not feasible using other post-launch propulsion methods. Among these mission types, three were selected for detailed study as promising candidates for a first science mission using the expected technolgy and maturity level to result from the GOSSAMER Roadmap, on the basis that they are for the foreseeable future only feasibile by solar sail: A multiple NEO rendezvous mission with the capability of additional fly-bys between stays at 3 NEAs within 10 years of flight time [32]; a displaced-L1 spaceweather mission which bears some similarity with an Earth-co-orbital NEA rendezvous flight profile [33]; and a solar polar orbiter mission which bears some similarity with a highly inclined and eccentric orbit NEA rendezvous flight profile [34]. All these missions are small spacecraft in the 100…500 kg range that could ride as secondary passengers to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) or higher orbits and proceed from there on sail thrust and an optional small kickstage to reduce exposure to the radiation belts of Earth.…”

Low-Thrust to Solar-Sail Trajectories: A Homotopic Approach

“…For instance, Ref. [40] shows the value of the characteristic acceleration as function of the sail size for the DLR/ESA Gossamer Roadmap to solar sailing. A preliminary mission is described in [40] which considers a characteristic acceleration …”