The European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO): A lunar mission for education, outreach and science

Abstract

ESMO is the fourth mission within ESA's Education Satellite Programme and builds upon the experience gained with SSETI Express (a micro-satellite launched into LEO in 2005), the YES2 tether experiment (launched into LEO on the Foton-M3 mission in 2007) and the European Student Earth Orbiter (a micro-satellite planned for launch in 2011/2012). The ESMO project is performed in order to attract and train the next generation of lunar and planetary engineers and scientists. The 250 kg ESMO mini-spacecraft is designed to be launched into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) as a secondary payload in the 2012/2013 timeframe. An onboard liquid bi-propellant propulsion system will be used to transfer the spacecraft from its initial GTO to the operational lunar orbit via the Sun–Earth L1 Lagrange point over a period of 3 months. A miniaturised payload consisting of a narrow angle camera for optical imaging of the surface, and a subsatellite for global gravity field mapping would perform measurements over a period of 6 months. Alternative payloads under consideration include a biological experiment, and a passive microwave radiometer. The paper presents the scientific, educational and technical aspects of the ESMO project, including a description of the payload, the spacecraft design and mission profile.