Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) - Design, Development and Delivery of a Small Asteroid Lander Aboard Hayabusa2

MASCOT is a small asteroid lander launched on December 3rd, 2014, aboard the Japanese HAYABUSA2 asteroid sample-return mission towards the 980 m diameter C-type near-Earth asteroid (162173) 1999 JU3. MASCOT carries four full-scale asteroid science instruments and an uprighting and relocation device within a shoebox-sized 10 kg spacecraft; a complete lander comparable in mass and volume to a medium-sized science instrument on interplanetary missions. Asteroid surface science will be obtained by: MicrOmega, a hyperspectral near- to mid-infrared soil microscope provided by IAS; MASCAM, a wide-angle Si CMOS camera with multicolour LED illumination unit; MARA, a multichannel thermal infrared surface radiometer; the magnetometer, MASMAG, provided by the Technical University of Braunschweig. Further information on the conditions at or near the lander‘s surfaces is generated as a byproduct of attitude sensors and other system sensors. MASCOT uses a highly integrated, ultra-lightweight truss-frame structure made from a CFRP-foam sandwich. It has three internal mechanisms: a preload release mechanism, to release the structural preload applied for launch across the separation mechanism interface; a separation mechanism, to realize the ejection of MASCOT from the semi-recessed stowed position within HAYABUSA2; and the mobility mechanism, for uprighting and hopping. MASCOT uses semi-passive thermal control with Multi-Layer Insulation, two heatpipes and a radiator for heat rejection during operational phases, and heaters for thermal control of the battery and the main electronics during cruise. MASCOT is powered by a primary battery during its on-asteroid operational phase, but supplied by HAYABUSA2 during cruise for check-out and calibration operations as well as thermal control. All housekeeping and scientific data is transmitted to Earth via a relay link with the HAYABUSA2 main-spacecraft, also during cruise operations. The link uses redundant omnidirectional UHF-Band transceivers and patch antennae on the lander. The MASCOT On-Board Computer is a redundant system providing data storage, instrument interfacing, command and data handling, as well as autonomous surface operation functions. Knowledge of the lander’s attitude on the asteroid is key to the success of its uprighting and hopping function. The attitude is determined by a threefold set of sensors: optical distance sensors, photo electric cells and thermal sensors. A range of experimental sensors is also carried. MASCOT was build by the German Aerospace Center, DLR, with contributions from the French space agency, CNES. The system design, science instruments, and operational concept of MASCOT will be presented, with sidenotes on the development of the mission and its integration with HAYABUSA2

Capabilities of Gossamer-1 derived small spacecraft solar sails carrying MASCOT-derived nanolanders for in-situ surveying of NEAs

Any effort which intends to physically interact with specific asteroids requires understanding at least of the composition and multi-scale structure of the surface layers, sometimes also of the interior. Therefore, it is necessary first to characterize each target object sufficiently by a precursor mission to design the mission which then interacts with the object. In small solar system body (SSSB) science missions, this trend towards landing and sample-return missions is most apparent. It also has led to much interest in MASCOT-like landing modules and instrument carriers. They integrate at the instrument level to their mothership and by their size are compatible even with small interplanetary missions. The DLR-ESTEC Gossamer Roadmap NEA Science Working Groups‘ studies identified Multiple NEA Rendezvous (MNR) as one of the space science missions only feasible with solar sail propulsion. Parallel studies of Solar Polar Orbiter (SPO) and Displaced L1 (DL1) space weather early warning missions studies outlined very lightweight sailcraft and the use of separable payload modules for operations close to Earth as well as the ability to access any inclination and a wide range of heliocentric distances. These and many other studies outline the unique capability of solar sails to provide access to all SSSB, at least within the orbit of Jupiter. Since the original MNR study, significant progress has been made to explore the performance envelope of near-term solar sails for multiple NEA rendezvous. However, although it is comparatively easy for solar sails to reach and rendezvous with objects in any inclination and in the complete range of semi-major axis and eccentricity relevant to NEOs and PHOs, it remains notoriously difficult for sailcraft to interact physically with a SSSB target object as e.g. the Hayabusa missions do. The German Aerospace Center, DLR, recently brought the Gossamer solar sail deployment technology to qualification status in the Gossamer-1 project. Development of closely related technologies is continued for very large deployable membrane-based photovoltaic arrays in the GoSolAr project. We expand the philosophy of the Gossamer solar sail concept of efficient multiple sub-spacecraft integration to also include landers for one-way in-situ investigations and sample-return missions. These are equally useful for planetary defence scenarios, SSSB science and NEO utilization. We outline the technological concept used to complete such missions and the synergetic integration and operation of sail and lander. We similarly extend the philosophy of MASCOT and use its characteristic features as well as the concept of Constraints-Driven Engineering for a wider range of operations

Small Spacecraft Based Multiple Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous and Landing with Near-Term Solar Sails and ‘Now-Term‘ Technologies

Physical interaction with small solar system bodies (SSSB) is the next step in planetary science, planetary in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and planetary defense (PD). It requires a broader understanding of the surface properties of the target objects, with particular interest focused on those near Earth. Knowledge of composition, multi-scale surface structure, thermal response, and interior structure is required to design, validate and operate missions addressing these three fields. The current level of understanding is occasionally simplified into the phrase, ”If you’ve seen one asteroid, you’ve seen one asteroid”, meaning that the in-situ characterization of SSSBs has yet to cross the threshold towards a robust and stable scheme of classification. This would enable generic features in spacecraft design, particularly for ISRU and science missions. Currently, it is necessary to characterize any potential target object sufficiently by a dedicated pre-cursor mission to design the mission which then interacts with the object in a complex fashion. To open up strategic approaches, much broader in-depth characterization of potential target objects would be highly desirable. In SSSB science missions, MASCOT-like nano-landers and instrument carriers which integrate at the instrument level to their mothership have met interest. By its size, MASCOT is compatible with small interplanetary missions. The DLR-ESTEC Gossamer Roadmap Science Working Groups‘ studies identified Multiple Near-Earth asteroid (NEA) Rendezvous (MNR) as one of the space science missions only feasible with solar sail propulsion. The Solar Polar Orbiter (SPO) study showed the ability to access any inclination, theDisplaced-L1 (DL1) mission operates close to Earth, where objects of interest to PD and for ISRU reside. Other studies outline the unique capability of solar sails to provide access to all SSSB, at least within the orbit of Jupiter, and significant progress has been made to explore the performance envelope of near-term solar sails for MNR. However, it is difficult for sailcraft to interact physically with a SSSB. We expand and extend the philosophy of the recently qualified DLR Gossamer solar sail deployment technology using efficient multiple sub-spacecraft integration to also include landers for one-way in-situ investigations and sample-return missions by synergetic integration and operation of sail and lander. The MASCOT design concept and its characteristic features have created an ideal counterpart for thisand has already been adapted to the needs of the AIM spacecraft, former part of the NASA-ESA AIDA mission. Designing the combined spacecraft for piggy-back launch accommodation enables low-cost massively parallel access to the NEA population

Solar Sails for Planetary Defense and High-Energy Missions

20 years after the successful ground deployment test of a (20 m)² solar sail at DLR Cologne, and in the light of the upcoming U.S. NEAscout mission, we provide an overview of the progress made since in our mission and hardware design studies as well as the hardware built in the course of our solar sail technology development. We outline the most likely and most efficient routes to develop solar sails for useful missions in science and applications, based on our developed ‘now-term’ and near-term hardware as well as the many practical and managerial lessons learned from the DLR-ESTEC GOSSAMER Roadmap. Mission types directly applicable to planetary defense include single and Multiple NEA Rendezvous ((M)NR) for precursor, monitoring and follow-up scenarios as well as sail-propelled head-on retrograde kinetic impactors (RKI) for mitigation. Other mission types such as the Displaced L1 (DL1) space weather advance warning and monitoring or Solar Polar Orbiter (SPO) types demonstrate the capability of near-term solar sails to achieve asteroid rendezvous in any kind of orbit, from Earth-coorbital to extremely inclined and even retrograde orbits. Some of these mission types such as SPO, (M)NR and RKI include separable payloads. For one-way access to the asteroid surface, nanolanders like MASCOT are an ideal match for solar sails in micro-spacecraft format, i.e. in launch configurations compatible with ESPA and ASAP secondary payload platforms. Larger landers similar to the JAXA-DLR study of a Jupiter Trojan asteroid lander for the OKEANOS mission can shuttle from the sail to the asteroids visited and enable multiple NEA sample-return missions. The high impact velocities and re-try capability achieved by the RKI mission type on a final orbit identical to the target asteroid‘s but retrograde to its motion enables small spacecraft size impactors to carry sufficient kinetic energy for deflection

Small Spacecraft Based Multiple Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous and Landing with Near-Term Solar Sails and ‘Now-Term‘ Technologies

Physical interaction with small solar system bodies (SSSB) is the next step in planetary science, planetary in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and planetary defense (PD). It requires a broader understanding of the surface properties of the target objects, with particular interest focused on those near Earth. Knowledge of composition, multi-scale surface structure, thermal response, and interior structure is required to design, validate and operate missions addressing these three fields. The current level of understanding is occasionally simplified into the phrase, ”If you’ve seen one asteroid, you’ve seen one asteroid”, meaning that the in-situ characterization of SSSBs has yet to cross the threshold towards a robust and stable scheme of classification. This would enable generic features in spacecraft design, particularly for ISRU and science missions. Currently, it is necessary to characterize any potential target object sufficiently by a dedicated pre-cursor mission to design the mission which then interacts with the object in a complex fashion. To open up strategic approaches, much broader in-depth characterization of potential target objects would be highly desirable. In SSSB science missions, MASCOT-like nano-landers and instrument carriers which integrate at the instrument level to their mothership have met interest. By its size, MASCOT is compatible with small interplanetary missions. The DLR-ESTEC Gossamer Roadmap Science Working Groups‘ studies identified Multiple Near-Earth asteroid (NEA) Rendezvous (MNR) as one of the space science missions only feasible with solar sail propulsion. The Solar Polar Orbiter (SPO) study showed the ability to access any inclination, theDisplaced-L1 (DL1) mission operates close to Earth, where objects of interest to PD and for ISRU reside. Other studies outline the unique capability of solar sails to provide access to all SSSB, at least within the orbit of Jupiter, and significant progress has been made to explore the performance envelope of near-term solar sails for MNR. However, it is difficult for sailcraft to interact physically with a SSSB. We expand and extend the philosophy of the recently qualified DLR Gossamer solar sail deployment technology using efficient multiple sub-spacecraft integration to also include landers for one-way in-situ investigations and sample-return missions by synergetic integration and operation of sail and lander. The MASCOT design concept and its characteristic features have created an ideal counterpart for thisand has already been adapted to the needs of the AIM spacecraft, former part of the NASA-ESA AIDA mission. Designing the combined spacecraft for piggy-back launch accommodation enables low-cost massively parallel access to the NEA population

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

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 NEA scout mission are examples of this synergy of trends. The continuation of these and other related developments 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) solar sail at DLR Cologne in 1999 and in the 20 years since

Development of an Algorithm to Estimate the Remaining Energy of a Primary Battery During an Autonomous Asteroid Mission

The purpose of this thesis is to develop an algorithm that can be used to estimatethe renaming capacity in a primary battery during an autonomous asteroid mission.An algorithm that determines the remaining State of Charge depending on operatingcurrent and temperature was constructed and tested with good results. An UnscentedKalman Filter was implemented together with the algorithm in a few tests. This wasdone to enable error correction during the end of discharge creating a more robust systemwith more accurate answers. This was also tested giving good results. The constructedalgorithm together with a power dissipation model were in the end used to simulate areal power profile of the autonomous mission.Validerat; 20140922 (global_studentproject_submitter

Development of an Algorithm to Estimate the Remaining Energy of a Primary Battery During an Autonomous Asteroid Mission

The purpose of this thesis is to develop an algorithm that can be used to estimatethe renaming capacity in a primary battery during an autonomous asteroid mission.An algorithm that determines the remaining State of Charge depending on operatingcurrent and temperature was constructed and tested with good results. An UnscentedKalman Filter was implemented together with the algorithm in a few tests. This wasdone to enable error correction during the end of discharge creating a more robust systemwith more accurate answers. This was also tested giving good results. The constructedalgorithm together with a power dissipation model were in the end used to simulate areal power profile of the autonomous mission.Validerat; 20140922 (global_studentproject_submitter

From Sail to Soil - Getting Sailcraft out of the Harbour on a Visit to One of Earth's Nearest Neighbours

The DLR-ESTEC GOSSAMER roadmap envisages the development of solar sailing by successive low-cost technology demonstrators towards first science missions. In this framework, the GOSSAMER-1 deployment demonstrator for a (5 m)² sail structure in low Earth orbit is followed by a (20 m)² sail effect demonstrator GOSSAMER-2 for higher Earth orbits, and the (50 m)² GOSSAMER-3 sailcraft to prove the principle within the Earth-Moon system. Missions requiring the unique capabilities of solar sail propulsion were studied by science working groups, including multiple NEO rendezvous and fly-by. The GOSSAMER sail technology has been developed by DLR since the 1990s, with a successful (20 m)² deployment test in 1999 at DLR Cologne. The requirements for GOSSAMER-3 demand the demonstration of sufficient trajectory and attitude control for science missions. Advances in boom, sail, and deployment mechanisms have already now increased the payload margin of baseline GOSSAMER-3 designs from a few to several kg. A camera to demonstrate attitude control and a magnetometer to study the space environment around a sail were first considered as payloads for GOSSAMER-3. In addition to these, the shoebox-sized 10 kg asteroid lander MASCOT recently launched with HAYABUSA-2 also carries a hyperspectral infrared soil microscope and a surface thermal infrared radiometer. The camera‘s and radiometer‘s fields of view coincide on the asteroid surface. Although designed for a mission on (162173) 1999 JU3, with the necessary margins for the unknown the instruments are versatile enough to adapt. Thus, a minimal modification of MASCOT may be integrated as separable instrument module with GOSSAMER-3, first to observe the sail during the deployment and demonstration flight phases. In an extended mission and with experience previously gained, the mission could be concluded by the rendezvous with and the challenging drop of a ballistic lander onto a small asteroid near Earth. For the exercise scenario on the mitigation of fictional Earth impactor 2015 PDC, it is assumed that the GOSSAMER roadmap keeps its 2 year mission interval after the last expected launch date for GOSSAMER-1; the HAYABUSA-2 mission proceeds successfully; the MASCOT Flight Spare become Ground Reference Model is preserved flightworthy and released from duty ½ year after the landing of MASCOT on 1999 JU3 to be mated to a likely GOSSAMER-3 design prepared for but not depending on this opportunity. The combined spacecraft may: fly a technology demonstration mission extended to end at a nearby NEA; proceed directly to 2015 PDC for a fast flyby, a rendezvous and lander drop, or both; or abort the already begun tech-demo mission and midways change course towards the newly recognized threat

Small Landers and Separable Sub-Spacecraft for Near-term Solar Sails

Following the successful PHILAE landing with ESA's ROSETTA probe and the launch of the MINERVA rovers and the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, MASCOT, aboard the JAXA space probe, HAYABUSA2, to asteroid (162173) Ryugu, small landers have found increasing interest. Integrated at the instrument level in their mothership they support small solar system body studies. With efficient capabilities, resource-friendly design and inherent robustness they are an attractive exploration mission element. We discuss advantages and constraints of small sub-spacecraft, focusing on emerging areas of activity such as asteroid diversity studies, planetary defence, and asteroid mining, on the background of our projects PHILAE, MASCOT, MASCOT2, the JAXA-DLR Solar Power Sail Lander Design Study, and others. The GOSSAMER-1 solar sail deployment concept also involves independent separable sub-spacecraft operating synchronized to deploy the sail. Small spacecraft require big changes in the way we do things and occasionally a little more effort than would be anticipated based on a traditional large spacecraft approach. In a Constraints-Driven Engineering environment we apply Concurrent Design and Engineering (CD/CE), Concurrent Assembly, Integration and Verification (CAIV) and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). Near-term solar sails will likely be small spacecraft which we expect to harmonize well with nano-scale separable instrument payload packages