Abstract
Anewdeep-spacemissiontotheheliosphericboundaryisanalyzedforspacecraftutilizinglow-thrustionengines. The mission design is performed by optimizing a combination of trajectory variables and propulsion system parameters such that the total trip time to the heliospheric boundary is minimized. Spacecraft utilizing both solar electricpropulsionandnuclearelectricpropulsionareconsidered.Optimalmissiondesignsarepresentedforawide range of launch vehicle options. In addition, a sensitivity analysis of the assumed electric propulsion technology level and gravity-assist e yby conditions is performed. Although electric propulsion is typically associated with payload fraction enhancement, this analysis demonstrates that the use of low-thrust spacecraft results in relatively short trip times for high-energy deep-space missions. Furthermore, it is shown that the performance of both electric-propulsion spacecraft trajectories compare favorably and in many cases show improvement overmissions utilizing all-chemical propulsion systems.
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