Dawn Spacecraft Performance: Resource Utilization and Environmental Effects During an 11-Year Mission

Abstract

Dawn was a deep space science mission to the asteroid belt, using solar electric propulsion and a spacecraft derived from an earth-orbiting communications satellite. Although much of the operational history of the mission has been captured in the literature, this work is intended to gather and highlight underreported issues and lessons that would be of specific interest to future electric propulsion and/or asteroid missions. This paper describes the most significant engineering resources consumed over the course of the mission and the use of redundant hardware and software. Also detailed are thermal, micrometeoroid, radiation, and other environmental effects and anomalies that the Dawn spacecraft experienced. A brief description of the mission and spacecraft hardware is also provided.