Mission Description

• Propulsion System SEP
• Launch Date 2003 (free)
• Rendezvous Date 2005 (free)
• Earth Return Date 2006 (free)
• Stay Time 50 days (fixed)
• Mass Drop 25  (fixed)
• Solar Array ASPA
• Engine NSTAR Engine G (1 engine)
• P0 11 kW
• Duty Cycle 100%
• Launch Vehicle Delta 7326-9.5
• Originally modeled using MALTO

Additional Mission Options

A. Variable Specific Impulse Mission:  Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) trajectory from Earth to Mars and back. Earth and Mars are points that follow a realistic ephemeris. Final Earth return mass is specifed.....minimize Earth departure mass. This is an idealized Mars Sample Return or simply an Earth-Mars Roundtrip trajectory.

• Depature Year ~2018 (departure date is free)
• Total Roundtrip <= 540 days (inequality constraint)
• Mars Stay Time >= 30 days (inequality constraint)
• System Power 10Mw
• Efficiency 50% (constant)
• Payload 15 MT (transported throughout)
• System Alpha 4kg/KW
• Engine System Mass 40 MT
• Mass Picked up at Mars 5 MT
• Earth Return Mass 60 MT
• Thrust variable
• ISP 2,000 sec <= ISP <= 20,000 sec
• Engine Degradation None
• Coast Periods allowed if optimal
• Initial Mass Minimize

B. Same as option A, except minimum stay time is 60 days.
C. Same as option A, except minimum stay time is 360 days. 

Input/Output files

Copernicus20060318.zip (download)

MALTO4_3_2.zip (download)

Mystic9_0_0.zip (download)

All Reference Case 12:  Mars Sample Return Files (download zip)