Optimal orbits around Ganymede for the JUICE mission

Abstract

The JUpiter ICy moons Explorer mission of the European Space Agency, that will be launched in the year 2022, will study the geodesy and physical characteristics of Jupiter and its icy moons Europa, Callisto and Ganymede. The final phase of this mission, planned for the year 2032, is still under investigation and foresees phases in circular orbit around Ganymede. In this paper two types of science orbits around Ganymede, that optimize the observational performances and the probe life-time, are proposed. While the first type allows, at “zero cost”, the obtaining of repeated observations of a given point of the surface, the second type, with a limited cost, adds to the periodicity of observation, the condition of synchronism with the Sun. This synchronism permits both the achievement of a condition of permanent sunlight for the probe, thus leading to an extension of the mission duration, and a minimization of the variations of spectral signature due to the Sun's position.