Mission Design for a Solar System Fast Escape to Interstellar Medium, Solar-gravity Lens Focus, and Beyond

Abstract:

Mission concepts were designed for a fast escape to Interstellar Medium (ISM) and solar system lens focus and beyond using two main different mission architectures and three different technologies. In the first mission architecture, a low launch C₃ using an SLS launch family vehicles provides us with a large launch mass that would enable a big burn at solar perihelion (Oberth maneuver) resulting in a big DV for escaping solar system. The solar perihelion burn, generated by a Solar Thermal Propulsion (STP) technology, will be following by a Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) system. Same architecture was tried using a Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) instead of STP at solar perihelion. The second mission architecture bypasses the dive to solar perihelion and instead uses a very high launch C₃ with a much smaller probe performs a Jupiter powered flyby (SRM technology) followed by NEP technology. Results showed both mission architectures yielded comparable promising results, but since the STP technology is still immature as of Spring 2020, a combination of SRM and NEP would be ideal for the purpose. For shorter distances in deep space like KBO’s, relying on more SRM than NEP would be more efficient, whereas for very far away deep in space like solar gravity lens focus (SGLF) and beyond, NEP’s role is dominant. To reach Interstellar medium, a combination of both SRM and NEP is the most efficient. A hypothetical enhanced STP system resulted in a very high escape velocity.