Sun-synchronous planetary exploration

Abstract

Contemporary planetary missions are characterized by favorable landing sites, communication, and duration. The ambition of planetary exploration is to discover the unknown: to explore regions, not just sites; to analyze, not just observe; and to operate effectively and reliably without excessive communication and ground support. New robotics technologies and mission concepts will revolutionize exploration systems and operations. This paper addresses the key enabling technologies for sun-synchronous planetary exploration: environmental modeling, temporal path planning, scaling, and robot configuration. 1.