3. Motivation/
Background
Overview
Flight System/
Components
Technical
Resource
Budgets
Summary
209P/LINEAR Specifications
3
Position of 209P/LINEAR on July 7th 2019
• The Jupiter Family Comet 209P/LINEAR was discovered in by the Lincoln Near Earth
Asteroid research project in May 2004
• In May 2014 the comet made a close pass of 8.3 million km
• Monitoring of the comet revealed the lowest perihelion dust production of any
comet on record, indicating that the comet is currently transitioning to an extinct
phase
• In July of 2019 the comet once again crosses the ecliptic at a distance of ~1AU
presenting the opportunity for a flyby at a relatively low Δv
Dimensions of Nucleus
2.4 x 3 km
(third dimension unknown)
Rotation Rate est. 11, 22 hrs
Inclination 21.243 deg
Period 5.09 yr
Eccentricity 0.67258
Perihelion Distance 0.9695 AU
4. Motivation/
Background
Overview
Flight System/
Components
Technical
Resource
Budgets
Summary
Mission Objectives
4
Mission Statement
Program INCEP will investigate the composition and structure of comet 209P/Linear through the use of optical imaging
and infrared spectroscopy. The data will be analyzed in order to develop a better understanding of how presolar
processes helped to shape bodies in the early solar system.
MO Mission Objectives
MO-1 The cubesat shall perform a flyby maneuver with comet 209P/LINEAR.
MO-2 The cubesat shall acquire optical and spectroscopic imaging on the comet during flyby.
MO-3
The gravitational disturbances on the cubesat’s orbit shall be calculated to estimate the mass of comet
209P/Linear
MO-4
The cubesat shall utilize onboard processing and telecommunications hardware to relay this data to a
ground station on Earth
MDC Mission Success Criteria Source Minimum Full
MSC-1
The cubesat shall have a flyby distance of 500 km with the comet
209P/LINEAR
MO-1
MSC-1.1
The cubesat shall have a flyby distance of 250 km with the comet
209P/LINEAR
MO-1
MSC-2
The spectrometer payload shall be pointed to within 0.15 degrees of
the comet during flyby
MO-2
MSC-3
The spectrometer payload shall obtain detect chemical species on the
surface of the nucleus of 209P/LINEAR
MO-2
MSC-3.1
Within the specified spectroscopy range, data collected must be
absorption and emission spectra of H20 ice at 1800 and 1380 nm
wavelengths
MO-2
MSC-4
The camera payload must capture one image every minute during the
total flyby period.
MO-2
MSC-5 No more than a 10% data loss shall occur in the received signal MO-4
6. Motivation/
Background
Overview
Flight System/
Components
Technical
Resource
Budgets
Summary
6
Program Schedule
Phase 1: Concept Development (10%
Margin)
Preliminary Studies on NASA Science
Goals
Determine Science Goal of Project
Create Mission Statement
Determine Mission Requirements
Phase 2: Preliminary Design (20%
Margin)
Develop Budget and Management Plan
Perform Architecture Trade Studies
Develop System Level Requirements
Phase 3: Final Design (15% Margin)
Choose Final System Architecture
Choose Final Sub-System Architectures
Purchase S/C Bus Components and
Payload
Phase 4: System Assembly,
Integration & Testing (25% Margin)
Software Development
Software and Hardware Integration
Integration Testing
Phase 5: Launch (50% Margin)
Prepare for Launch Opportunity
Integration Into Launch Vehicle and
Launch
Phase 6: Operations and Sustainment
(5%)
Perform Health Checks
Perform delta-V maneuver (Propulsion
Mode)
Enter Science Mode
Transmit Science Data to Ground
Station
Phase 7: Closeout (50%)
Storage and Analysis of All Data
Project Phase
Year 1 Year 2
Q4
Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3
11. Motivation/
Background
Overview
Flight System/
Components
Technical
Resource
Budgets
Summary
11
Component List
Subsystem Component Name Quantity
Structures ISIS 6-Unit CubeSat structure 1
EPS
Clyde Space 3G FLEX EPS 1
CS 30 Whr Battery 1
CS Deployable Double Sided 6U Panels 4
CS 6U Body FixedSolar Panels 1
Thermal & Shielding MLI Blankets 1
Propulsion
Busek 3cm RF Ion Thruster 1
Electric Propellant 1
Liquid Propellant 1
MPS-120 1
ADCS BCT-XACT Module 1
Telecom
IRIS X-Band Transponder 1
AntDevCo X-Band Patch Antennas 1
C&DH Tyvak Intrepid System Board Computer 1
Payload
Argus 1000 SK Spectrometer 1
NanoCam C1U Camera (50 mm lens) 1
Radiation Shielding Lead radiation shielding 1
12. Motivation/
Background
Overview
Flight System/
Components
Technical
Resource
Budgets
Summary
12
Propulsion
Propulsion
Type
Component Name Application Delta V (km/s) Margin
Total Delta V
(km/s)
Electric
Propulsion
Busek 3cm RF Ion
Thruster BIT-3
Transit
2.02998 25% 2.537475
Station Keeping
Liquid
Propulsion
Aerojet MPS-120
CHAMPS
Science Maneuvers 0.017 15% 0.01955
Emergency Thrust 0.034 15% 0.0391
Desaturation of
reaction wheels
0.017 15% 0.01955
Total Delta V
Required - Electric
(km/s)
2.537475
Total Delta V
Required - Liquid
(km/s)
0.0782
Total Mass of
Propellant (kg)
1.509315746
Burn time (days) 319.7606526
Burn Time Margin
(%)
3.102832556
13. Motivation/
Background
Overview
Flight System/
Components
Technical
Resource
Budgets
Summary
13
Science Instruments
Mission
Statement
Science Goals
Science
Requirements
Measurement
Requirements
Instrument
Functional
Requirements
"...develop a
better
understanding of
how presolar
processes helped
to shape bodies in
the early solar
system"
Understand
cometary lifecycle
through the study of
a “dying” comet
Precise determination
of rotation rate
Ability to acquire
images at at least twice
the minimum estimated
rotation rate of
209P/LINEAR
Minimum image
acquisition rate of 0.18
observations per hour
Characterization of
surface topology
through identification
of craters, gas jets, and
other natural
morphological features
Ability to acquire high
resolution images of the
comets surface
Minimum Spatial
Resolution better than
20 m/pixel at chosen
flyby distance
Improve
understanding of
volatile
composition of
Jupiter family
comets
Determination of ice
grain presence in the
near nucleus coma.
Ability to detect spectral
identification bands of
water ice
Spectrographic
detection of 1800 and
1380 nm wavelengths
Determination of ice
presence on surface
Spectrographic
resolution of less than
13.8 nm
14. Motivation/
Background
Overview
Flight System/
Components
Technical
Resource
Budgets
Summary
14
Science Instruments
Argus 1000 SK (Infrared Spectrometer)
• Operation Band: 1000-2400 nm
– Capable of detection of H20, C2, N2+, NH3, CH4…
• Spectral Resolution: 6 nm
• Mass: 0.23 kg
• Dimensions: 45 x 50 x 80 mm
NanoCam C1U 50mm (Camera System)
• Operation Band: 400-1000 nm
• Image acquisition rate: 37.9 /hr
• Spatial Resolution: 14.1 m/pixel
• 50 mm lens
• 225 km flyby distance
• Mass: 0.17 kg
• Dimensions: 45 x 50 x 80 mm
27. Motivation/
Background
Overview
Flight System/
Components
Technical
Resource
Budgets
Summary
27
Link Budget
Comet Telecom Link Budget Symbol: Units: Cubesat -> Earth (Downlink) Earth -> Cubesat (Uplink)
Item: f GHz Telemetry and Data: Telemetry and Data:
Frequency f Hz 8.45 7.15
Frequency P Watts 8450000000 7150000000
Transmitter Power (RF Output Transmit
Power)
P dBW 10 20000
Transmitter Power (RF Output Transmit
Power)
Ll dB 10 43.01029996
Transmitter Line Loss Gt dBi 0 0
Transmitter Antenna Gain EIRP dBW 16.5 67
Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power S m 26.5 110.0103
Propagation Path Length c m/s 99607000000 99607000000
Speed of Light Ls dB 300000000 300000000
Free Space Path Loss La dB -270.9446962 -269.4936829
Propagation and Polarization Loss Lpr dB -1 -2
Receive Antenna Pointing Loss Gr dBi -0.2 -2
Receive Antenna Gain Ts K 74.4 16
System Noise Temperature Ts dBK 20.6 250
System Noise Temperature R bps 13.1386722 23.97940009
Data Rate 13264.56928 259867.3358
Symbols per Byte Eb/No dB 2 2
Eb/No C/No dB-Hz 6 6
Carrier-to-Noise Density Ratio Req Eb/No dB 44.21663157 57.13721698
Required Eb/No dB 2 2
Implementation Loss (estimate) dB -1 -1
Margin dB 3 3
30-45s / Mark
The Jupiter Family Comet 209P/LINEAR was discovered by the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research Project in 2004. In May of 2014 the comet made a close pass of Earth, coming within 8.3 million km by earth, causing the Camelopardalis metor shower. During this pass, the Arecibo Observatory planetary radar system observed the comet, making most of the measurements below. Monitoring of the comet indicates that the comet has the lowest dust production of any comet on record. It is believed that this comet is currently transitioning to a dormant/ extinct comet.
