MarsSat: assured communication with Mars

Area of Science:

• Planetary Science and Astrodynamics
• Space Communications Engineering

Background:

• Direct communication with Mars is frequently interrupted during solar conjunction, a period when Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun.
• Existing solutions, such as satellites at Sun-Mars Lagrangian points (L4/L5), present challenges due to distance and potential asteroid threats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a novel class of orbits, termed MarsSat orbits, to facilitate continuous communication with Mars.
• To overcome the limitations of solar conjunction and improve relay satellite efficiency compared to Lagrangian point stations.

Main Methods:

• Developed a class of solar orbits with the same period as Mars but differing inclinations and eccentricities.
• These orbits are designed to maintain a consistent, close proximity to Mars while ensuring a line-of-sight to Earth.

Main Results:

• MarsSat orbits minimize the Earth-Mars-satellite distance, significantly reducing relay satellite size, weight, and power requirements.
• These orbits offer a substantial signal strength advantage (approximately 100x) over satellites positioned at the L4/L5 Lagrangian points.
• The proposed orbits avoid the hazardous regions of the Sun-Mars L4/L5 points, which are populated by Martian Trojan asteroids.

Conclusions:

• MarsSat orbits provide a highly effective and efficient solution for maintaining reliable communications during Mars missions, especially during solar conjunction.
• This orbital design offers significant advantages in terms of satellite resource management and operational safety compared to previous concepts.