Pluto express sciencecraft system design

Abstract

A number of mission system architectures have been studied for a Pluto flyby mission, with the goal of achieving the most cost effective means of meeting a well defined set of science and technology objectives. The current Pluto Express approach at JPL incorporates emerging new technologies to reduce cost, mass, power, and volume, without sacrificing performance, science, or operations capability. The design has evolved through a number of option studies involving an extensive trade space which includes alternate power sources and various propulsion and trajectory options. The results of this trade study have been coupled with a new development implementation approach to create a highly integrated concurrently engineered mission system called a “sciencecraft.” The current approach results in a Sciencecraft Module with dry mass of less than 100 kg, power consumption of less than 100 watts, and functional simplicity to achieve high reliability, operability, and a low total mission cost.