1. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Mars Flyby CubeSat
(temporary name)
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

2. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
CubeSat on an Earth-Mars Free-Return
Trajectory to study radiation hazards in the
future manned mission
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

3. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
• CubeSat Concept
• Primary Mission Objective
• High-level specifications & secondary objectives
• MFC Payloads
• MFC Main Challenges
• MFC Preliminary Design
• Conclusion
Table of Contents
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

4. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
CubeSat Standard• CubeSat concept 1999 => Deployment standard
Bob Twiggs Stanford University
Jordi Puig-Suari California Polytechnic State Univ.
• Many educational missions already launched!
• Only a few interplanetary cubesat projects
=> Interplanetary & Education & Science Data
2U: 10cmx10cmx20cm 2Kg (2.6Kg)
1U: 10cmx10cmx10cm 1Kg (1.3Kg)
3U: 10cmx10cmx30cm 3Kg (4Kg)
PACE Nanosatellite © NCKU
Robusta, MaSat-1 and PW-Sat © ESA
CSSWE CubeSat © University of Colorado Boulder
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

5. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
• CubeSat Concept
• Primary Mission Objective
• High-level specifications & secondary objectives
• MFC Payloads
• MFC Main Challenges
• MFC Preliminary Design
• Conclusion
Table of Contents
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

6. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Primary Mission Objective
- Radiation Measurements -
• Lack of measurements between Earth and Mars.
– only RAD on CURIOSITY was successful,
– only on the way to go,
– optimized to study on Mars, not during the cruise.
• Lessons from RAD :
– « simultaneous multisite measurements are key-
data for Space Weather understanding »
– « Solar min.activity is a key-period to study GCR »
• Mission Focus : Scout the Manned Mars Missions.
– Future crews will be exposed to hazardous
radiations : which ones are dangerous?
– Catch observational data of radiation hazards
during the Earth-Mars-Earth journey.
Picture of RAD
Radiations Assessment
Detector © NASA
NASA Goddard Space Weather Research Center
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

7. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Primary Mission Objective
- Focus on Mars Science Laboratory/RAD -
RAD made for studying radiations on Mars!
MSL and RAD © NASA
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

8. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
• CubeSat Concept
• Primary Mission Objective
• High-level specifications & secondary objectives
• MFC Payloads
• MFC Main Challenges
• MFC Preliminary Design
• Conclusion
Table of Contents
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

9. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
High-level specifications
• Volume:
• 3U Cubesat.
• 1,5U for radiations payload.
• Trajectory:
• Should be able to autonomously catch a Free-Return Earth-Mars trajectory after
being jettisoned.
• Tool to be developed to early assess the feasibility of trajectory corrections and
flyby computation.
• Autonomous regarding navigation because no communications.
• Use of AOCS electrical propulsion and optical subsystems for navigation.
• Onboard image processing for navigation.
• Communications:
• Only opportunity soon after being jettisoned, in Mars’s vicinity using another
Martian orbiter and when back nearby the Earth.
• Sience data:
• Because of lack of communications long data storage and prepocessing.
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

10. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Mission Objectives
- Secondary Mission Objectives -
Earth Mars Free-Return => Small corrections of trajectory mandatory
CubeSat to contribute to the global hunt for asteroids and
other hazardous natural objects that may strike Earth.
Very accurate optical AOCS with propulsion system needed
Asteroid 2012DA14 (~50 meters wide) captured from Earth by the
La Sagra Sky Survey in 2012 ~4millions kms away from Earth © LSS
Near Earth Asteroids observed by WISE (NASA mission) © PERC/Chitec
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

11. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Mission Objectives
- Secondary Mission Objectives -
CubeSat jettisoned from a “host” mission going to Mars
if requested by “host”, CubeSat to take pictures of the Host
Selected pictures of the “host”, or Alert/Science data to be sent
to the “host” and transferred back to the Earth
CubeSat is a travel companion of Host mission,
separated by few kilometers (host's safety)
CubeSat to improve the situational awareness of the “Host” mission
Artist view of the Martian CubeSat taking pictures of its “host” © NCKU
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

12. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Mission Objectives
- Summary -
To scout the manned mission by catching observational data
of radiation hazards during the Earth-Mars-Earth journey.
To improve the situational awareness of the “host” mission.
To contribute to the global hunt for asteroids and
other hazardous natural objects that may strike Earth.
PRIMARY MISSION OBJECTIVE
SECONDARY MISSION OBJECTIVE
(AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE PRIMARY MISSION OBJECTIVE)
OPTIONAL MISSION OBJECTIVE
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

13. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
• CubeSat Concept
• Primary Mission Objective
• High-level specifications & secondary objectives
• MFC Payloads
• MFC Main Challenges
• MFC Preliminary Design
• Conclusion
Table of Contents
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

14. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
MFC Payloads
- Radiations Instrument -
Particle species Quality factor Relevance
Protons 1-7 Largest flux, large contributor to total dose.
He (α particles) 2-30 Large flux, high Q at low energies thus large contributor to
equivalent dose.
HZE (C, O, Mg,
Si)
5-30 High Q with large probability of reaction in body tissue.
HZE (Fe) 6-30 High Q with largest probability of reaction in body tissue, large
contributor to equivalent and effective dose (primary astronaut
safety concern).
Electrons 1 SEP precursor, highly penetrating, large fluence during SEP events
(even with Q=1, large fluence contributes to large equivalent dose).
Primary and secondary particles through spacecraft
© E. R. Benton, E.V. Benton, March 2001
Particles to be studied by Martian CubeSat
Quality factor (also weighting factor) = Quantity expressing the biological damage
Identification of ions by species (or at least by group, e.g., C–N–O) is required to use the
new risk assessment tools developed by NASA.
Study primary particles causing direct damage or undirectly via secondary particles
production. Goal is not to directly study the secondary particles.
European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

15. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
MFC Payloads
- Asteroids/NEO Optical Instrument -
F°(solar flux & wavelengths ) Integration time
Distance ast-CubeSat Pupil radius
704 Interamnia from Earth © Cerulli/Teramo Observatory
Projets Master OSAE / Observatoire de Paris
27/10/2013
e.g. an asteroid with a magnitude of 20 (260-500m
diameter) can be seen at a distance of 10⁶km
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

16. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
• CubeSat Concept
• Primary Mission Objective
• High-level specifications & secondary objectives
• MFC Payloads
• MFC Main Challenges
• MFC Preliminary Design
• Conclusion
Table of Contents
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

17. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Main Challenges
- Trajectory corrections -
• Earth-Mars free-return trajectory that leaves Earth, fly by Mars and return to
Earth without any deterministic maneuver after Trans-Mars injection.
Trajectory corrections © Inspiration Mars Foundation
After
separation
from launcher
Before Mars
Flyby
After Mars Flyby
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review
STK trajectory of MFC

18. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Main Challenges
- Trajectory corrections -
• After Trans-Mars injection, only small corrections of trajectory are needed.
• Use of an electrical propulsion onboard the CubeSat for trajectory corrections
and attitude control.
• Typically TRL 5 for CubeSat electrical propulsion systems.
e.g. Key Performance Characteristics,
Busek Micro-Pulsed Plasma Thruster © BUSEK
departing Earth at 8-9 km/s
1H thrust => +0.45 m/s
is this enough ?
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

19. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Main Challenges
- Trajectory corrections : a few m/s for ΔV budget -
YES !
Based on a Hohmann transfer
from Earth's orbit to Mars's orbit
Small corrections are sufficient
• to cancel the jettisoning shock (1-2m/s)
• to select the right approach path into Mars
vicinity. Prograde ΔV = +/-0.45m/s
+/-40'000km on encounter
+/-3H on Mars' path
• to select the correct flyby, i.e.
– Mars-focused hyperbolic trajectory
– Twist the orbital plane for the return
(initial results, checks still in process)
departing Earth at 8-9 km/s
1H burst => +0.45 m/s
is this enough ?
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

20. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Main Challenges
- Trajectory corrections : (θ, ΔV) trade-off
ΔV
θ
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

21. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
ΔV
θ
Main Challenges
-Trajectory corrections : (θ, ΔV) trade-off
(e.g.) a prograde ΔV=2m/s at θ=100° moves the apocenter by
~175'000km « left » (-x) and ~30'000km opposite to the Sun (+y)
Sun ↓
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

22. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Main Challenges
- Communications -
• The CubeSat would acquire data during its way to Mars and transmit them to
a Martian orbiter while approaching Mars.
• It would also acquire data on its way back to Earth and transmit them to the
Ground Stations when back nearby the Earth.
After separation
from launcher
Nearby Mars
Return nearby Earth
Communication opportunities
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

23. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Main Challenges
- Onboard Storage and Data Processing -
• CubeSat needs to be very autonomous due to the lack of communication
opportunities.
• Data from optical navigation, storage of pre-processed data needed.
• Probably use of FPGA. Researches on FPGA for CubeSats.
• Strong efforts must be done regarding the onboard data processing.
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

24. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
• CubeSat Concept
• Primary Mission Objective
• High-level specifications & secondary objectives
• MFC Payloads
• MFC Main Challenges
• MFC Preliminary Design
• Conclusion
Table of Contents
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

25. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
MFC Preliminary Design
Radiations Payload
Asteroids/NEO
Payload
Electrical Propulsion
3 axis thrusters
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

26. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
• CubeSat Concept
• Primary Mission Objective
• High-level specifications & secondary objectives
• MFC Payloads
• MFC Main Challenges
• MFC Preliminary Design
• Conclusion
Table of Contents
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

27. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Conclusion
• This Educational Martian CubeSat would scout the manned mission to Mars by measuring
radiations in situ over the full Earth-Mars-Earth journey.
• Improve the Space Situational Awareness for the Earth by notifying unknown asteroids and
other hazardous natural objects that may strike Earth.
• And in the case of a launch as a piggyback of another Martian mission, it could improve the
Situational Awareness of the “host” mission.
• Phase 0 : Mission Design Review 22 October 2013.
• Phase A : 06/2013-...
• Phase B : from 10/2013, new students involved.
• Precursor flight will be needed for testing some functions of the MFC.
• Free-return trajectory opportunity in 2018.
Dust devil hunters © 2005 - Association Planète Mars / Manchu
ALL MARS MISSIONS
COMPATIBLE!
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review

28. 22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review
REVIEWERS

29. European Planetary Science Congress 2013
8 – 13 September 2013, London, UK
Thank You!
Contact points:
Project Mgr: boris.segret@obspm.fr
System Mgr: jordan.vannitsen@gmail.com
Mentors & Supporters:
CNRS-LATMOS : Pr. M.Cabane, D.Coscia
Mars Society Switzerland : P.Brisson
Association Planète Mars : B.Segret
NCKU : Pr. J.J.Miau, Pr. J.C.Juang
Students:
NCKU : J.Vannitsen, A. Heimann
ELISA : A.Ansart, Q.Tahan
… and many others to join in the coming years!
22 October 2013
Mission Definition Review