Abstract:

Possible scenarios for a flight to Neptune's moons Triton and Nereid are considered. The flight to Neptune and its moons can be carried out according to various schemes depending on the launch date, types of engines used, goals and mission features. In this report, flight schemes using a gravitational maneuver near Jupiter and low-thrust engines are presented. The unique arrangement of Neptune and Jupiter in the early 2030s makes it possible to perform a gravitational maneuver around Jupiter on the way to Neptune, thereby significantly reducing the flight time and the required amount of a propellant. The main flight scenario includes the flyby of the Nereid at a distance of 10,000 km and further flight to Triton with entering into its orbit. The scenario itself can be divided into 2 stages: a flight to Neptune and maneuvering in the sphere of action of Neptune. The first stage solves the problem of determining the parameters of the flight trajectory that satisfies the restrictions on time and consumption of the propellant and consists of accelerating the spacecraft along a spiral trajectory, flying to Jupiter with a gravitational maneuver in its sphere of action, transferring the spacecraft to a flight trajectory to Neptune. At the second stage, consisting of the spiral deceleration at Neptune, the flyby of the Nereid and the rendezvous of the spacecraft with Triton, the problem of ensuring close-range studies of both moons is solved. Possible launch windows are found, a comparison is made in terms of flight duration, total energy costs and the possible mass of the spacecraft.