Interstellar Object Accessibility and Mission Design

Benjamin P.S. Donitz, Declan Mages, Hiroyasu Tsukamoto, Peter Dixon, Damon Landau, Soon Jo Chung, Erica Bufanda, Michel Ingham, Julie Castillo-Rogez

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Interstellar objects (ISOs) are fascinating and under-explored celestial objects, providing physical laboratories to understand the formation of our solar system and probe the composition and properties of material formed in exoplanetary systems. In this work, we investigate approaches to designing successful flyby missions to ISOs. We have generated trajec-tories to a series of synthetic representative ISOs, simulating a ground campaign to observe the target and resolve its state, and determining the cruise and close approach ΔV required for the encounter. We have developed novel deep learning-driven guidance and control algorithms to enable an accurate flyby of an ISO traveling at velocities over 60 km/s.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2023 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2023
PublisherIEEE Computer Society
ISBN (Electronic)9781665490320
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023
Externally publishedYes
Event2023 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2023 - Big Sky, United States
Duration: Mar 4 2023Mar 11 2023

Publication series

NameIEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings
Volume2023-March
ISSN (Print)1095-323X

Conference

Conference2023 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2023
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBig Sky
Period3/4/233/11/23

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Space and Planetary Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Interstellar Object Accessibility and Mission Design'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this