Solar Electric Propulsion Gravity-Assist Tours For Jupiter Missions

Abstract

Several Hall thrusters (e.g. BPT-4000, BHT-600, SPT-100, etc.) are able that operate with useful thrust at the sub-kilowatt power levels that would be available from solar arrays at Jupiter distance. We have found that a combination of a multi-kilowatt thruster (e.g. the BPT-4000) for the interplanetary trajectory with a sub-kilowatt thruster (e.g. the BHT-600) is sufficient for a Europa flyby mission. A roughly 1200 kg spacecraft using this propulsion approach would be able to launch on a Falcon 9 and reach Jupiter in 4.9 years. We demonstrate the feasibility of a Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) Jovian tour with an example tour that reaches Europa 1.6 years after Jupiter arrival with a remaining capability of 400 m/s of ΔV for additional flybys.