Live streaming during the landing of

prochus@ulg.ac.be
18 Fevrier 2021
 3 Mars missions were launched in July 2020 and are arriving now in February 2021 at MARS

Satellite Launch date Launcher Launch site Mass Components Landing

19 (20) juillet Mitsubishi
Al-Amal = HOPE Kagoshima 1 350 kg  Orbiter Arrival 9-févr-21
2020 MH-IIA
Wenchang a mass three parts –
heavy-lift
spaceport on (including fuel) the orbiter, the
Tianwen-1 23-juil-20 Long March 10 février 21
Hainan Island in of about 5 lander and the
5
southern China tons rover (240kg).

Atlas V-541,
Cape Canaveral
MARS 2020 at Space Launch mass Rover + l’étage
30-juil-20 Air Force 18-févr-21
Perseverance Launch 1,025 kg de croisière
Station, Florida
Complex 41

 The surface
European
platform will
rover, Rosalind
Postponed to have a mass
Proton rocket Franklin, and a
August 2022 of 827.9kg,
EXOMARS 2020 (nine-month Baikonur Russian  
instead of July including a
journey.) surface
2020 scientific
platform,
payload of
Kazachok
45kg.

EMM
 
HOPE A direct  link to the API documentation
 
can be  found here: EMM SDC
 
API.pdf    

For questions or further support, please contact the SDC team at emm-sdc@lists.lasp.colorado.edu. 2
Lancement 30/7/ 2020 1. Séparation de l’étage de croisière Tout automatisé: les
6.5 mois de transfert 2. Entrée sous bouclier thermique
yeux (senseurs
Amarsissage 18/02/2021 3. Parachute
4. Phase retro propulsée d’étoile) sont sur
7 minutes of terreurs
5. Grue céleste l’étage de croisière

prochus@ulg.ac.be
4
L’exploration de Mars tient une place
particulièrement importante dans les
programmes scientifiques d'exploration
du système solaire des principales
puissances spatiales. Entre 1960 et
2016, plus de quarante sondes,
orbiteurs et atterrisseurs ont été
envoyés vers Mars.
Launches to Mars
Decade  
1960s 12
1970s 11
1980s 2
1990s 7
2000s 8
2010s 6
2020s 3
49

Le taux de succès n’est que de

40% Avec les succès de Al-
Amal, Tianwen-1,
Perseverance’s — une
probabilité meilleure que 50%
de succès de placer un satellite
en orbite ou d’amarsiser sur la
surface. 
Cependant les technologies
s’améliorent.
Depuis 2000, 18 missions
marsiennes, sans compter
Perseverance ont été lancée
vers et sur Mars. 14 étaient un
succès contre 4 échecs soit 78 5
Remerciements pour les précisions données par Fernando Abilleira (Mars 2020 Deputy Mission Manager) 6
Interplanetary Trajectories

1 Patched conic method

2 Pork chop plot (JPL)

Lambert’s problem

The 3 launch windows

7
Interplanetary Trajectories

1 Patched conic method

1.1 Problem statement
1.2 Sphere of influence
1.3 Planetary departure
1.4 Hohmann transfer
1.5 Planetary arrival
1.6 Sensitivity analysis and launch windows
1.7 Examples

8
 Four body problem ! ?

Hint #1: design the Earth-Mars transfer using known concepts

Hint #2: division into simpler problems

Hint #3: patched conic method

9
What Transfer Orbit ? Constraints ?

Hohmann transfer orbit (1925) Dep.

“V1”

Arr.
Dep.
Arr.
“V2” Dep.

Arr.

Motion in the
heliocentric
reference frame
10
11
Pendant la croisière de 7 mois, jusqu’à 6 Manœuvres de correction de trajectoire (TCM)
sont prévues pour compenser les erreurs diverses et nécessaires pour viser le point de
visée d'entrée atmosphérique souhaité sur Mars.
Les cibles de point de lancement sont détournées de Mars pour la protection planétaire
afin d'atteindre une probabilité inférieure à 1,0 x 10-4 de l'étage supérieur Centaur
impactant Mars au cours des 50 prochaines années.
Le vol interplanétaire de la sonde spatiale
M2020 : un exemple typique de transit
entre la Terre et Mars.

TCM = Trajectory Correction Maneuvers

12
 The velocities of the planets are large
compared to the velocities that launch
vehicles can provide. It would not be
possible to send spacecraft to the
planets without taking advantage of the
orbital velocity of the Earth (no choice
anyway) and gravity assists of planets;
the contribution of the launch vehicle is
minor in comparison.

Pluto the nonconformist planet i and e are large. (e PLUTO large  sometimes Neptune is the farthest planet.
13
Planetary Departure ? Constraints ?

v Earth / Sun v
Ap
se
lin
e

? V1

Motion in the
planetary
reference frame
14
Planetary Arrival ? Similar Reasoning
Transfer
ellipse

SOI SOI

Arrival
Departure
hyperbola
hyperbola

15
Patched Conic Method

Three conics to patch:

1. Outbound hyperbola (departure)

2. The Hohmann transfer ellipse (interplanetary travel)

3. Inbound hyperbola (arrival)

6.1.1 Problem statement 16

Patched Conic Method
= a 4 body problem treated as a succession of 2 body problems

Approximate method that analyzes a mission as a sequence

of 2-body problems, with one body always being the
spacecraft.

If the spacecraft is close enough to one celestial body, the

gravitational forces due to other planets can be neglected.

The region inside of which the approximation is valid is

called the sphere of influence (SOI) of the celestial body. If
the spacecraft is not inside the SOI of a planet, it is
considered to be in orbit around the sun.

6.1.1 Problem statement 17

 Patched Conic Method

Very useful for preliminary mission design (delta-v

requirements and flight times).

But actual mission design and execution employ the most

accurate possible numerical integration techniques.

According to Vladimir Alexander Chobotov, the patched

conic technique is a brilliant approximation of this four-
body motion; it provides adequate accuracy for almost all
purposes (except detailed navigation).

6.1.1 Problem statement 18

 Sphere of Influence (SOI) ?

Let’s assume that a spacecraft is within the Earth’s SOI if

the gravitational force due to Earth is larger than the
gravitational force due to the sun.
Sphere of gravity is a
static criteria not
GmE msat GmS msat applicable for
2

rE , sat rS2,sat dynamics

rE , sat  2.5 105 km

250.000 km is quite small !
The moon is outside!

6.1.2 Sphere of influence 19

 The good question is :
Sphere of Influence (SOI) Is the movement of the
spacecraft described as a
movement around the
Earth with a perturbation
Third body: from the Sun or
planet or moon
a movement around the
mj Sun with a perturbation
Spacecraft
d from the Earth
m2
r ρ   d ρ 
r  3 r  Gm j  3  3 
r d  
m1
Central body: Disturbing
O sun or planet function (L04)

6.1.2 Sphere of influence 20

 If the Spacecraft Orbits the Planet

G  m p  mv   rsv rsp  p:planet

rpv  rpv  Gms  3  3  v: vehicle
rpv3 r r 
 sv sp  s:sun

rpv  A p  Ps Ps<< Ap
Perturbation
acceleration due Ps 
≪1
Primary to the sun 𝐴𝑝
gravitational
acceleration due
to the planet

6.1.2 Sphere of influence 21

 If the Spacecraft Orbits the Sun

G  ms  mv   rpv rsp  p:planet

rsv  rsv  Gm p  3  3  v: vehicle
rsv3 r r 
 pv sp  s:sun

rsv  A s  Pp Pp<< As
Perturbation
acceleration due P p 
≪1
Primary to the planet 𝐴𝑠
gravitational
acceleration due
to the sun

6.1.2 Sphere of influence 22

 SOI: Correct Definition due to Laplace

It is the surface along which the magnitudes of the

acceleration satisfy:

Pp Ps

As Ap
Measure of the planet’s Measure of the deviation of
influence on the orbit of the the vehicle’s orbit from the
vehicle relative to the sun Keplerian orbit arising from
the planet acting by itself
2
It is not exactly a sphere:
 mp  5
Made with approximations
Ms= 99,86 % Solar rSOI   rsp
 ms 
Several possible definitions
system mass
6.1.2 Sphere of influence 23
 SOI: Correct Definition due to Laplace

P
If  the spacecraft is inside the SOI of the planet.
As Ap
p

Ps
Ap
The previous (incorrect) definition was 
A 1
s

The moon lied outside the SOI and was in orbit about
the sun like an asteroid !

6.1.2 Sphere of influence 17

 SOI Radii

SOI radius
Planet SOI Radius (km)
(body radii)

Mercury 1.13x105 45

Venus 6.17x105 100

OK ! Earth 9.24x105 145

Mars 5.74x105 170

Jupiter 4.83x107 677

Neptune 8.67x107 3886

The lagrangian points L1 and L2 are outside the sphere of influence; they
should be at the limit
6.1.2 Sphere of influence 25
 Validity of the Patched Conic Method
The Earth’s SOI is 145 Earth radii.

This is extremely large compared to the size of the Earth:

The velocity relative to the planet on an escape hyperbola is
considered to be the hyperbolic excess velocity vector.

vSOI  v
This is extremely small with respect to 1AU:
During the elliptic transfer, the spacecraft is considered to be
under the influence of the Sun’s gravity only. In other words, it follows
an unperturbed Keplerian orbit around the Sun.

Ms= 99,86 % Solar system

mass
6.1.2 Sphere of influence 26
𝒓 𝑺𝑶𝑰 𝒎𝒑 𝟐 𝟓
=( )
𝑹 𝒎𝒔

27
Outbound Hyperbola

The spacecraft necessarily escapes using a hyperbolic

trajectory relative to the planet.
When this velocity vector is added to the
planet’s heliocentric velocity, the result is
the spacecraft’s heliocentric velocity on the
Hyperbolic excess interplanetary elliptic transfer orbit at the
speed SOI in the solar system.

2 2 2 2 2
v v v  esc v SOI vesc

Is vSOI the velocity on

the transfer orbit ?

6.1.3 Planetary departure 28

Magnitude of VSOI

The velocity vD of the spacecraft relative to the sun is

imposed by the Hohmann transfer (i.e., velocity on the
transfer orbit).

H. Curtis, Orbital Mechanics for

Engineering Students, Elsevier.

6.1.3 Planetary departure 29

Parking Orbit

A spacecraft is ordinary launched into an interplanetary

trajectory from a circular parking orbit. Its radius equals the
periapse radius rp of the departure hyperbola.

H. Curtis, Orbital Mechanics for

Engineering Students, Elsevier.

6.1.3 Planetary departure 30

Planetary Departure: Graphically

Departure to outer or inner planet ?

speed of the
planet with
respect to the
Sun

Outer planet Inner planet

H. Curtis, Orbital Mechanics for Engineering Students, Elsevier.
6.1.3 Planetary departure 31
 Circular, Coplanar Orbits for Most Planets
Planet Inclination of the orbit
Eccentricity
to the ecliptic plane
Mercury 7.00º 0.206
Venus 3.39º 0.007
Earth 0.00º 0.017
Mars 1.85º 0.094
Jupiter 1.30º 0.049
Saturn 2.48º 0.056
Uranus 0.77º 0.046
Neptune 1.77º 0.011
Pluto 17.16º 0.244

The orbits of most of the planets in the solar system lie very close to the earth’s orbital plane (the ecliptic plane).
The innermost planet, Mercury, and the outermost dwarf planet, Pluto, differ most in inclination (7 and 17,
respectively). The orbital planes of the other planets lie within 3.5 of the ecliptic. Most of the planetary orbits have
small eccentricities, the exceptions once again being Mercury and Pluto. To simplify the beginning of our
study of interplanetary
6.1.4 Hohmanntrajectories,
transfer we will assume that all the planets’ orbits are circular and coplanar.32
Arrival at an Outer Planet
vA is smaller in magnitude than that of the planet v2.

vA - v2 < 0.

The spacecraft
crosses the
forward portion
of the SOI

vA - v2 = - v∞

6.1.5 Planetary arrival 33

the B-plane By definition, targeting implies
maintaining a proper distance from
the projection of the surface and
the atmosphere. If a spacecraft
pierces the B-plane inside the
impact circle it will strike the planet.
The radius of the impact circle,
b, is the semi minor axis of a
hyperbola which is just tangent to
the surface of the target. The
impact radius is substantially larger
than the radius of
the planet.
6 TCM (Trajectory correction manoeuvers)
Some preliminary manoeuvers
are needed to cut the B-Plane
at the correct distance for final
• gravity assist or
• transfer to an elliptical orbit
or
• aerocapture or
• Impact
34
35
 Aerocapture

Aerocapture is a specific type of aeroassisted maneuver for orbital insertion. It is based on a

reduction from hyperbolic velocities to low orbit velocities by means of the drag force produced by
the atmosphere of the destination planet. The enormous kinetic energy is transformed into heat,
which is insulated from the spacecraft with a protection aeroshell made of ablative materials.
With this technique the amount of chemical propellant that would have been used is no longer
required. Therefore, the vehicle mass or the scientific payload can be incremented beyond the
actual limits providing the spacecraft the possibility of carrying out more investigations per
mission, increasing the structural limitations of the spacecraft or flying the same payload still
farther. One major application would be the returning of samples from closer planets or reaching
the distant ones and their moons.

Aerobraking maneuver was first successfully demonstrated at Venus with Magellan mission in
1993 after completing its prime mission. Magellan used aerobraking maneuver to reduce its orbital
period from 3.23 h to 1.57 h. Following the Magellan’s success, three Mars missions have used
aerobraking as an enabling technology to reduce the propellant requirement to enter the target
science orbits.
The three missions are Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), Mars Odyssey, and Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which were launched in 1996, 2001, and 2005 respectively.

36
Table 2 summarizes the spacecraft parameters and aerobraking performances for
selected aerobraking missions. As shown, the fuel mass saving for all three Mars
missions are all over 1000 m/s, which is very significant compared with the launch
mass. According to the rocket equation, the propellant mass follows an exponential
relation to the required ΔV, the amount of fuel savings can be considered enabling for
MGS and Odyssey.

37
Aerobraking Saves Cost and Mass

38
 Aerobraking Saves Cost and Mass

A large, heavy spacecraft requires a large, expensive launch vehicle. NASA has successfully driven down costs of space
exploration missions by using smaller spacecraft for launch on smaller, less costly rockets than those used for most interplanetary
missions in the past. Research and development dedicated to new technology is delivering ever-smaller miniaturized
instrumentation and electronics. As a result, most interplanetary spacecraft today are less than half as large as spacecraft
designed 10 or more years ago, and these can be launched on relatively small rockets.

Aerobreake - Safe Mode But no matter how small the spacecraft, if it is destined to orbit another planet, it must have the means to
slow down once it gets there in order to be captured into orbit. (Aerocapture, a close cousin of aerobraking, is an as-yet-untested
technique that would use the friction of a planetary atmosphere to actually capture a spacecraft into orbit. This would eliminate the
need for most of the large amount of fuel now needed for delivering a spacecraft into the desired orbit around Mars.) Once a
spacecraft is captured, it still needs to reach the particular orbital geometry required for the mission. So far, two means exist to
move the spacecraft into the desired orbit: chemical rockets or aerobraking.

Even for a small-sized spacecraft, a massive amount of propellant is required for an orbit insertion. Almost half of Odyssey's total
mass is simply rocket fuel that will be expended in the approximately 20-minute Mars orbit insertion engine firing. Without
aerobraking, even more propellant would have to have been added to the spacecraft to bring Odyssey into its final orbit. The
additional mass would have pushed the spacecraft weight beyond the capability of the low-cost launch vehicle and required a
larger, more expensive rocket.

The study team concluded that the current state of readiness is destination dependent, with aerocaptured missions feasible at
Venus, Mars, and Titan with current technologies.

39
 Odyssey's Aerobraking

Odyssey's aerobraking occurs in three primary phases that engineers call 'walk-in', 'the main phase' and 'walk-out'. The walk-in
phase occurs during the first four to eight orbits following Mars arrival. That phase will be used as a calibration period so that
engineers can understand how the spacecraft behaves in and out of aerobraking. It will help determine the adequacy of the
Odyssey team's aerobraking plans and ensure their assumptions about Mars' atmosphere.
Martian dust storms, which can dramatically change the height and density of the atmosphere, are a particular concern
during aerobraking. The mission's first Mars image, to be taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) in the early
phase of aerobraking, will test its capability to look at the atmosphere to detect dust storms. Also on the lookout for dust storms is
Odyssey's sibling spacecraft, Mars Global Surveyor, already in orbit at Mars. If for some reason Global Surveyor is unavailable for
that purpose, Odyssey's thermal emission imaging system, which is partly an infrared camera, will be used for atmospheric
monitoring of Mars.
The main aerobraking phase begins once the point of the spacecraft's closest approach to the planet has been lowered to within
about 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) above the Martian surface. (That point is known as the orbit's "periapsis") Approximately 380
"drag passes", the term to describe the spacecraft's flight through the atmosphere, will be accomplished in 78 days. Each pass will
reduce the altitude of the spacecraft and "trim" its orbit into a more circular flight path. With each pass too, the spacecraft's point of
closest approach to Mars will move northward eventually drifting over Mars' north pole and then back down the "other side" of the
planet.
The Odyssey team will periodically use the onboard jets to make adjustments before some passes through the atmosphere. Such
adjustments might need to be made if the spacecraft is found to be flying too high or too low in the atmosphere.
The aerobraking drag passes will be flown under the direction of commands stored in the central onboard computer. Each pass
commences with a warm-up of the small thrusters used to make any last minute adjustments. The radio transmitter is turned off to
conserve power during the drag pass; the power savings are important because Odyssey will temporarily be without use of its solar
panels. The solar panels double as an aerobraking "drag chute", and must be secured to the body of the spacecraft to face into the
martian atmosphere. Battery power supplies electricity during aerobraking.
Odyssey's gyro-like reaction wheels now spin to adjust the spacecraft's orientation in space, pointing the solar panels down to
brush the top of Mars' atmosphere.
The walk-out phase occurs during the last few days of aerobraking. At that time, Odyssey's orbit will still be egg-shaped. The lowest
point (periapsis) will be near an altitude of 120 kilometers (75 miles) and is most distant point (apoapsis) will be near the 400-
kilometer (250-mile) altitude planned for the mission. Onboard thrusters will be fired to raise the periapsis to achieve the final 400-
kilometer (250-mile) circular science orbit.

40
 Atmospheric entry at Mars

Mars atmospheric entry, descent, and landing are very challenging due to its thin atmosphere [1].
It is difficult for large entry vehicles to achieve enough deceleration for a soft touchdown. Landers
and rovers have been successfully delivered to the surface of Mars, but the mass class has been
increasing—from 11 kg for Mars Pathfinder, 185 kg for Mars Exploration Rovers, to 900 kg for
Mars Curiosity and 1050 kg for Mars 2020. As interests in human Mars missions increase,
landing largesize human-rated payload (on the order of 10s of metric ton) on Mars surface
becomes important. The main objective of the entry phase is to decelerate the vehicle enough so
that the vehicle can reach a low velocity at a high enough altitude for the final descent and
landing phase to safely engage. In the following, we will show a parametric analysis for the
performance of different vehicle designs, from ballistic vehicles (L/D = 0) to mid-L/D vehicles (L/D
up t0 0.8) for human-class missions.
It is important to note that, for robotic missions, the landed mass has been in the range of 100s to
1000s kg, thus with a reasonably large aeroshell (e.g., diameter of 4.5 m), a ballistic coefficient of
less than 50 kg/m2 can be achieved. However, for
human-class payloads, there is a need for mid-L/D vehicles, for which the ballistic coefficients are
at least an order of magnitude larger than that of a robotic mission.

Figure 5.
Performance and design parameters for aerobraking maneuver for vehicle ballistic coefficient of
900 kg/m2.

41
42
 Atmospheric entry at Mars

To conduct the parametric analysis, we use 50 and 900 kg/m2 as the baseline and show
the results corresponding to these vehicle designs. Interested readers are directed to the
Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0 [22] for more details.
4.1 Entry performance parameters
Key performance parameters for atmospheric entry are peak g-load, peak heat rate, and
total heat load. Lower values for all the parameters are desired; however, trends for peak
heat rate and total heat load are opposite as shown in Figure 6. For the same entry
velocity, with increase of entry flight-path angles, total heat load decreases whereas peak
heat rate and peak g-load increases. As ballistic coefficient
increases, an overall increase in all three parameters can be observed.
In Figure 6, the black shaded areas in all four plots correspond to exit trajectories, meaning
that with the combination of velocity and entry flight-path angle, the vehicle will exit the
atmosphere after a short atmospheric flight. Several entry velocities are also worth noting—
3.49 km/s is the circular velocity at 129-km altitude, 4.93 km/s for V of 0 km/s, 7 km/s for V
of 5 km/s, and 9 km/s for V of 7.5 km/s. A V of 7.5 km/s is the common maximum value
seen for Mars arrival V.
Higher arrival velocities are possible but for the purpose of this chapter, an entry velocity of
9 km/s covers a wide range of interplanetary trajectories.

43
Atmospheric entry at Mars

44
At entry flight-path angle of about 11 deg, Figure 6 shows that the peak g-load
only varies slightly with entry velocities, which means that entry at both high
arrival velocities and low velocities results in similar g-load at that particular entry
flight-path angle. However, the main differences will be the heat rate and heat load.
If the mission design allows for a lower arrival velocity, it will decrease both peak
heat rate and total heat load.
As a reference for technologies for entry, in particular TPS materials, we have
listed some common TPS materials in Table 3. Note that heat rate on the order of
100 s W/cm2 is well within the technology of current TPS material. Phenolic
Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) and Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment
Technology (HEEET) are more capable compared with other TPS materials.
From Figure 6, for robotic missions, that is, ballistic coefficients of 50 and
200 kg/m2, ACOAT could handle most of the heating conditions.

45
Event Time of event Earth-Receive Time of event Altitude / Velocity
Altitude: 1,569 km
Cruise Stage Separation 15:26:53 EST 15:38:15 EST
Velocity: 16,728.4 km/h
Altitude: 1,348 km
De-spin 15:28:18 EST 15:39:40 EST
Velocity: 17,057.4 km/h
Altitude: 1,253 km
Cruise Balance Mass Ejection 15:28:50 EST 15:40:12 EST
Velocity: 17,191.8 km/h
Altitude: 131.0 km
Atmospheric Entry 15:36:53 EST 15:48:15 EST
Velocity: 19,202.2 km/h
Altitude: 59.6 km
Guidance Start 15:37:47 EST 15:49:09 EST
Velocity: 19,293.9 km/h
Altitude: 21.0 km
Peak Heating 15:38:08 EST 15:49:30 EST
Velocity: 10,849.5 km/h
Altitude: 16.1 km
Heading Alignment 15:39:12 EST 15:50:34 EST
Velocity: 3,697.6 km/h
Altitude: 13.7 km
SURF period begins 15:40:39 EST 15:52:01 EST
Velocity: 1,719.2 km/h
Altitude: 11.8 km
Parachute Deployment 15:40:56 EST 15:52:18 EST
Velocity: 1,518.9 km/h
Altitude: 9.7 km
Heat Shield Jettison 15:41:17 EST 15:52:39 EST
Velocity: 578.7 km/h
Altitude: 4.27 km
TRN Acquisition 15:42:17 EST 15:53:39 EST
Velocity: 322.5 km/s
Altitude: 3.6 km
TRN Landing Solution Reached 15:42:24 EST 15:53:46 EST
Velocity: 313.3 km/h
Backshell Separation / Descent Altitude: 2.1 km
15:42:42 EST 15:54:04 EST
Stage Ignition Velocity: 293.4 km/h
Altitude: 0.21 km
Descent Stage Throttle Down 15:43:23 EST 15:54:45 EST
Velocity: 6.0 km/h
Altitude: 0.16 km
Rover Separation 15:43:27 EST 15:54:49 EST
Velocity: 9.9 m/s
Altitude: 0.00 km
Touchdown / Flyaway 15:43:42 EST 15:55:04 EST
Velocity: 0.00 m/s 46
Existence of Launch Windows

Phasing maneuvers are not practical due to the large

periods of the heliocentric orbits.

The planet should arrive at the apse line of the transfer

ellipse at the same time the spacecraft does.

6.1.6 Sensitivity analysis and launch windows 47

 Phasing
The purpose of an interplanetary mission is for the spacecraft not only to intercept a planet’s orbit but also to
rendezvous with the planet when it gets there. For rendezvous to occur at the end of a Hohmann transfer, the
location of planet 2 in its orbit at the time of the spacecraft’s departure from planet 1 must be such that planet
2 arrives at the apse line of the transfer ellipse at the same time the spacecraft does.

48
 Rendezvous opportunities

The time required for the phase angle to return to its initial value is called the synodic period, which
is denoted Tsyn.

ωsyn= ω1 – ω2

𝟏 𝟏 𝟏
= −
𝑻 𝒔𝒚𝒏 𝑻 𝟏 𝑻 𝟐

T1T2
Tsyn  Synodic period
T1  T2
49

49
 The closest
planets have the
less opportunities

Around one year

Future Voyager type
grand tour recurs in the
year 2153, 175.8 years
later. 50
Hohmann Transfer: Other Planets

v departure Transfer time

Planet
(km/s) (days)

Mercury 7.5 105

Venus 2.5 146
Mars 2.9 259
Jupiter 8.8 998
Saturn 10.3 2222

Pluto 11.8 16482

Assumption of circular, co-planar orbits and

tangential burns

6.1.7 Examples 51
 Orbital Transfers are general including Nontangential Burns

One Tangent Burn Transfer

First burn is tangent to the initial orbit
Second burn is at the final orbit
• Transfer orbit intersects final orbit
• An infinite number of transfer orbits exist
• Transfer orbit may be elliptical, parabolic or
hyperbolic
– Depends on transfer orbit energy
– Depends on transfer time scale

One-Tangent Burn
6. Interplanetary Trajectories

6.2 Lambert’s problem

53
 Non-Hohmann Trajectories

Solution using Lambert’s

theorem:

If two position vectors and the

time of flight are known, then the
orbit can be fully determined.

Lambert’s theorem which correlates the time of transfer to the semimajor axis, |R1| + |R2| and the arc |R1 −
R2|. By means of the theorem the semimajor axis can be determined and finally also the velocities at arrival
and departure V1 and V2. The difference between V1 and the Earth velocity is the hyperbolic excess velocity
vector VHE, which determines the energy to be given to the spacecraft by the launcher or by its own rockets.
The angle between VHE and the Earth equator is called declination of the launch asymptote (DLA) and is an
important parameter for direct-ascent launches. In the same way the hyperbolic excess velocity at the arrival
planet VHP can be computed. The procedure described allows to produce charts of hyperbolic excess
velocities at departure and arrival and DLA for all launch dates and planet arrival dates. Given launcher
capability in terms of C3 = V² HE and DLA, this chart sets boundaries to the mission feasibility in terms of launch
opportunities,
6.2 which are roughly
Lambert’s problem repeated every synodic period. 54
 The patched-conic method
a procedure to calculate trajectories for mission-analysis purpose. In this method the planets are
assumed massless, yielding a heliospheric transfer trajectory, from planet centre to planet centre,
which is a pure Keplerian arc. However, this method does take into account the real planetary
position and velocity. The complete trajectory consists of a series of conics with discontinuities in
heliocentric velocity at planetary encounters.
Let us suppose a spacecraft is launched from Earth at time t1 and let its heliospheric position be
R1. The spacecraft is to arrive to a planet at position R2 and time t2. The two position vectors
define the plane of the trajectory. The orbital elements of the transfer can be determined by the
Lambert’s theorem which correlates the time of transfer to the semimajor axis, |R1| + |R2| and
the arc |R1 − R2|. By means of the theorem the semimajor axis can be determined and finally
also the velocities at arrival and departure V1 and V2. The difference between V1 and the Earth
velocity is the hyperbolic excess velocity vector VHE, which determines the energy to be given
to the spacecraft by the launcher or by its own rockets. The angle between VHE and the Earth
equator is called declination of the launch asymptote (DLA) and is an important parameter for
direct-ascent launches. In the same way the hyperbolic excess velocity at the arrival planet VHP
can be computed. The procedure described allows to produce charts of hyperbolic excess
velocities at departure and arrival and DLA for all launch dates and planet arrival dates.
Given launcher capability in terms of C3 = V² HE and DLA, this chart sets boundaries to the mission
feasibility in terms of launch opportunities, which are roughly repeated every synodic period.
A porkchop plot (also pork-chop plot) is a chart that shows contours of equal characteristic
energy (C3) against combinations of launch date and arrival date for a particular
interplanetary flight.

55
 THEOREME DE LAMBERT LAMBERT'S THEOREM

La durée d'un voyage de P1 à P2, dans un champ de gravitation de

constante m et de centre O, n'est fonction que des variables :
R1+R2 = OP1+ OP2
D =P1P2
a demi grand axe de la conique

Quelle que soit la durée de vol, il existe une trajectoire unique ellipse à
moins d'un tour ou hyperbole.

The transfer time of a body moving between two points on a

conic trajectory is a function only of the sum of the distances
of the two points from the origin of the force, the linear O
distance between the points, and the semimajor axis of the
conic.
The duration of a trip from P1 to P2, in a gravitational field of
constant m and center O, depends only on the variables :
R1+R2 = OP1+ OP2
D =P1P2
a semi-major axis of the conic

Regardless of the flight time, there is a single ellipse path

within one turn or hyperbola.
Lagrange estimait que le théorème de Lambert, «par sa
simplicité et sa généralité, doit être regardé comme l’une des
plus ingénieuses découvertes qui aient été faites dans la théorie
du système du monde»
56
The outcome of the analyses (with Lambert problems) can be summarize in a « Pork chop » plot

Representative porkchop plot

for the 2005 Mars launch
Type II
opportunity (horizontal axis: transfer for
departure dates, vertical axis: cargo: the
arrival dates) spacecraft
travels
A given blue contour represents a more than
solution with a constant C3. a 180° true
The center of the pork chop is the anomaly
optimal solution for the lowest C3.
The red lines represent trips with
the same travel time for the Type I
trajectory. transfer for
piloted: the
spacecraft
travels less
than a 180°
true
anomaly

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/basics/
57
The outcome of the analyses (with Lambert problems) can be summarize in a Pork chop plot

Porkchop plot
It should be noted that
there are two minimum
energy areas within the
ballistic plots, one of
which is
associated with a Type I
transfer and the other
with a Type II transfer.

https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSEPwo
kZmRQ
JPL Mission design tool : https
://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?
mdesign_server&des=1
58
59
 Tous les 26 mois

Figure 2. Multiple porkchop plots from 2011-2028 showing changing shape and structure. Each date on the x and
y axes corresponds to perihelion for Earth and Mars, respectively. Note the location of the minimum ΔV for each
opportunity with respect to the squares on the grid. Every 7 opportunities the minima are in a similar location
resulting in a near-repeat.

60
Earth-Mars geometry
roughly repeats every
15 years,
or 7 opportunities.

61
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63
64
65
66
 Types and classes of trajectories

Planetary trajectories are

classified in Types based on
the length of the transfer
ellipse

If the spacecraft will travel less than a 180-deg true anomaly, the trajectory is called
type I. If the spacecraft will travel more than 180 deg and less than 360 deg, the
trajectory is called a type II. Types Ill and IV exist but are seldom used.
Trajectories are also organized into classes.
A class I transfer trajectory reaches the target planet before apoapsis (or before
periapsis for inbound missions). Class II trajectories reach the target planet after
apoapsis (or after periapsis for inbound missions).
The Viking mission to Mars, for example, used a type II, class II trajectory.

67
 Direct-To-Earth (DTE) and full MRO during Entry, Descent, and
Ballistic entry Landing

Use a ballistic entry like we have done before for all past Mars
landers/rovers except for Viking I/II. 71
 •Launch: July 30, 2020

Trajectories with entry velocities between 5.2 km/s and 5.6 km/s atmosphere relative

Launch: July 30, 2020

Launch of NASA Mars rover delayed again, 2 weeks left to fly.

NASA has delayed the launch of its newest Mars rover yet again—to the end of July 2020 at the
earliest—this time for a rocket issue.
If the Perseverance rover isn't on its way by mid-August, it will have to wait until 2022 when Earth
and Mars are back in proper alignment, costing NASA close to $500 million for the delay alone.
Managers are now targeting no earlier than July 30 for a liftoff from Cape Canaveral, eating up half
of the month long launch window. 72
 Arrival date criteria of the constant arrival date of
February 18th, 2021
The M2020 baseline 20-day launch period extends from July 17th through August 5th, 2020. The supplementary
10-day launch period extends from August 6th, 2020 through August 15th, 2020. Every launch date has a
constant arrival date of February 18th, 2021.
The launch/arrival strategy is designed to maximize launch vehicle performance and deliver the flight system
to the Martian atmosphere with entry velocities between 5.2 km/s and 5.6 km/s, while allowing for EDL
communication paths via orbiter relay or Direct-To-Earth (DTE) during Entry, Descent, and Landing
(EDL), from atmospheric entry through landing plus one minute. It is highly desired to have at least two EDL
communication paths should an anomaly occur during this critical event. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
(MRO) which successfully recorded open loop data during the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) EDL event will
again be positioned in an optimal geometry prior to the arrival of the vehicle to capture the M2020 Ultra-
High Frequency (UHF) signal from a Local Mean Solar Time (LMST) of 3:30 PM. The X-band DTE link adds
robustness to the EDL communication strategy; however, X-band semaphores do not contain telemetry data and
are likely to be insufficient to fully reconstruct most EDL fault scenarios. In the 2020 Earth-to-Mars opportunity,
later arrival dates favor DTE communications; hence, the launch/arrival strategy has the latest arrival date
possible to extend DTE communications while preserving the required launch vehicle performance for a
minimum of 20 continuous launch days. The launch/arrival strategy was selected to maximize DTE
communications so DTE coverage is available from entry through some time after heatshield separation.
This makes EDL communications via an orbiter relay critical since that path is the only means to obtain EDL
data. In addition to MRO, in October 2017, NASA confirmed that the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution
mission (MAVEN) orbiter will also be positioned to provide EDL relay communications adding robustness to the
EDL communications baseline. The launch/arrival strategy figure also sh MAVEN executed an inclination
change maneuver in July 2018 to change the precession of the orbital plane to achieve the proper
geometry to support the M2020 EDL event in February of 2021.ows the regions of full (visibility from Entry
to landing plus 1 minute) MRO and full DTE.

Regarding Planetary Protection, the launch targets (in polynomial form) were designed to ensure that the upper
stage Mars impact probability in the next 50 years (for nominal an off-nominal cases) was less than 10 -4.
73
The Mars 2020 mission launched July 30, 2020, at 4:50 a.m. PDT (7:50 a.m. EDT/11:50 a.m. UTC).

The launch period, the days in which the spacecraft could launch, opened on July 30.

The duration of the daily launch windows varied from day to day. The launch windows lasted approximately
between 30 minutes and two hours, with a unique launch opportunity every five minutes.

The Perseverance rover will land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, at around noon PST (3 p.m. EST/8 p.m. UTC).

74
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77
 L’échec de Mars Polar Lander 1999 sans telemesure de EDL a refroidi la
NASA

Direct-To-Earth (DTE) during Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL)

78
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All launch days have a constant arrival date of February 18th, 2021.

82
 LAUNCH WINDOWS

1. The good years with lower C3 are the synodic period: every
26 months for an Earth to Mars transfer

2. For a given launcher (defining the Maximum C3), we have

launch dates in the synodic year and arrival dates for
acceptable C3 and ToF
3. Every day in the previous launch periods, there are a few
hours to launch (2 hours in the case of Mars 2020)
87
Daily launch Window

88
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MERCI
Questions ?

90