ESA Science & Technology - Publications Archive

This document will be used as an input to the new call for ideas for the Cosmic Vision programme. The objective is to make a survey of potential interplanetary transfers between the Earth and the outer planets Saturn, Uranus and Neptune for the timeframe 2025-2035. The main mission is probe release, either simple to the target planet, or double if it is possible in terms of mass. Two launchers have been contemplated: Soyuz-Fregat and Ariane 5 ECA, both launched from Kourou. A first step in the analysis has been to find all potential transfers following well known and efficient sequences. The second step carried out was to filter out the huge amount of solutions by applying a system margin approach. This approach allowed to conclude whether or not a specific mission (simple vs double) with a specific launcher and target planet was feasible.

The assessment study of Planetary Entry Probes (PEP) for Venus and three of the outer planets (Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) has been performed at ESA's Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) and ran from 14 April to 30 June 2010.

The internal final presentation has been prepared by the PEP/CDF team and summarizes the outcome of the PEP assessment study. This presentation can be downloaded below as a PDF (link to publication).

Contents of the presentation:

-  Introduction -  Systems -  Mission analysis -  Aerothermodynamics -  Thermal -  Entry, Descent & Landing -  Payload -  Configuration -  Structures -  Mechanisms

-  Guidance & Navigation Control -  Power -  Communications -  Data Handling System -  Ground Segment & Operations -  Programmatics/ AIV -  Risk -  Annex I: Atmospheric Models for Outer Planets

A summary of the PEP study is on the "Planetary Entry Probes (PEP)" page, linked form the right-hand menu.