Rendezvous Mission for Interstellar Objects Using a Solar Sail-based Statite Concept
Richard Linares, Damon Landau, Daniel Miller, Benjamin Weiss, Paulo Lozano
Using the “statite,” or static-satelite, concept — an artificial satellite capable of hovering in place using a solar sail — this work proposes to create a dynamic orbital slingshot in anticipation of Interstellar Objects (ISOs) passing through our solar system. The existence of these ISOs offers a unique scientific opportunity to answer fundamental scientific questions about the origin of solar system volatiles, the compositions of exo-solar systems, and the transfer rates of material between solar systems. However, due to their high heliocentric velocities and relatively short lead time, it may be extremely difficult to visit ISOs with current satellite propulsion systems. This work investigates the statite concept as applied to ISO missions and demonstrates potential configurations for optimal ISO flyby and rendezvous missions.
Comments: 8 pages, 5 figures, white paper
Subjects: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)
Cite as: arXiv:2012.12935 [astro-ph.IM] (or arXiv:2012.12935v1 [astro-ph.IM] for this version)
Submission history
From: Daniel Miller
[v1] Wed, 23 Dec 2020 19:58:50 UTC (2,843 KB)
