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Electric Sail Test Cube–Lunar Nanospacecraft, ESTCube-LuNa: Solar Wind Propulsion Demonstration Mission Concept
Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu, Observatooriumi 1, Tõravere, 61602, Estonia, Observatooriumi 1; Estonian Student Satellite Foundation, W. Ostwaldi 1, Tartu, 50411, Estonia, W. Ostwaldi 1.
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Electrical Engineering, Space and Plasma Physics.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2422-5426
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Electrical Engineering, Space and Plasma Physics. Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, Inzenieru iela 101, Ventspils, 3601, Latvia, Inzenieru iela 101.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1654-841X
Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu, Observatooriumi 1, Tõravere, 61602, Estonia, Observatooriumi 1; Estonian Student Satellite Foundation, W. Ostwaldi 1, Tartu, 50411, Estonia, W. Ostwaldi 1.
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Number of Authors: 352024 (English)In: Aerospace, E-ISSN 2226-4310, Vol. 11, no 3, article id 230Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The electric solar wind sail, or E-sail, is a propellantless interplanetary propulsion system concept. By deflecting solar wind particles off their original course, it can generate a propulsive effect with nothing more than an electric charge. The high-voltage charge is applied to one or multiple centrifugally deployed hair-thin tethers, around which an electrostatic sheath is created. Electron emitters are required to compensate for the electron current gathered by the tether. The electric sail can also be utilised in low Earth orbit, or LEO, when passing through the ionosphere, where it serves as a plasma brake for deorbiting—several missions have been dedicated to LEO demonstration. In this article, we propose the ESTCube-LuNa mission concept and the preliminary cubesat design to be launched into the Moon’s orbit, where the solar wind is uninterrupted, except for the lunar wake and when the Moon is in the Earth’s magnetosphere. This article introduces E-sail demonstration experiments and the preliminary payload design, along with E-sail thrust validation and environment characterisation methods, a cis-lunar cubesat platform solution and an early concept of operations. The proposed lunar nanospacecraft concept is designed without a deep space network, typically used for lunar and deep space operations. Instead, radio telescopes are being repurposed for communications and radio frequency ranging, and celestial optical navigation is developed for on-board orbit determination.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
MDPI AG , 2024. Vol. 11, no 3, article id 230
Keywords [en]
cubesat, electric solar wind sail, in-orbit demonstration, interplanetary nanospacecraft, lunar orbit
National Category
Aerospace Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-344924DOI: 10.3390/aerospace11030230Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85188708753OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-344924DiVA, id: diva2:1848550
Note

QC 20240404

Available from: 2024-04-03 Created: 2024-04-03 Last updated: 2024-04-04Bibliographically approved

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Ivchenko, NickolayVaivads, Andris

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