Mission Analysis
Mission analysis in the narrower sense, that means everything to do with orbit mechanics and transfer trajectories, is an essential part of development work from the very beginning of mission and system design. It is needed from the earliest design stages in order to assess feasibility and define framework conditions. The diversity of today's missions and their boundary conditions as well as the different types of propulsion (for example gravity assist, solar sails, electric and chemical propulsion) and missions (for example sun-synchronous orbits, interplanetary missions, stationary orbits at Lagrange points) require an extensive portfolio of tools, which may have to be adapted to the specific mission, as well as know-how, which is used in a targeted manner.
At the Institute of Space Systems, mission analysis is an important core competence that is in demand when investigating new mission proposals, during CE studies and when supporting projects. The increasing demand for low-thrust orbits and gravity-assist sequences plays a special role. Typical targets of such missions are comets, near earth objects, Trojan asteroids, but also for missions to planets (Venus, Mercury, Jupiter).
Mission analysis activities are divided into the following three areas:
1. Mission analyses for concept phases:
- Earth orbits (LEO,MEO,HEO,GEO): Coverage; sun angle; contact times; shadow phases
- Lifetime analyses: orbit decay; orbit drift
- Lunar/ interplanetary analyses: trajectory design; maneuver planning; launch window; delta-v demand calculation
- Small body missions (e.g. NEOs, asteroids, comets, Trojans)Low-thrust scenarios /Gravity Assis
2. Mission analyses for selected missions - project-related:
- Operational orbits
- Payload behavior (sensor FOV, coverage)
- Design of constellations
- Generation of supporting data (orbit & attitude) for other subsystems (e.g. thermal, power, payload)
- Energy conversion based on solar panel design/positioning/orientation and coverage
- Engine design and fuel budgets
- Optimization of communication system and ground network/relayModeling of communication link with antenna pointing
3. Method and tool adaptation/development:
- Path optimization (e.g. according to flight time, take-off mass)
- Low thrustGravity Assist
- Supporting data