Inflatable solar sails for low-cost robotic Mars missions

Abstract

This paper presents an evaluation of the use of solar sails based on inflatable-structures technologies to perform low-cost robotic planetary missions. We show that there is a significant potential synergism between the emerging technologies of microspacecraft and inflatable solar sails that offer the unique capability of performing planetary science missions using a small, low-cost launch vehicle, such as the Pegasus XL, with a launch cost of less than $25M. In the example evaluated here, a roughly 100-m diameter inflatable solar sail can deliver a 48-kg microspacecraft payload to Mars orbit with a trip time of about 725 days. Once in orbit, the microspacecraft can perform orbit changes (including atmospheric entry) with no expenditure of propellant by using the solar sail.