《ESA CONTRACT 1767903NLSFe》.pdfVIP

ESA CONTRACT 17679/03/NL/SFe Solar Kite Mission Feasibility Study EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Authors: C Jack and C Welch ESA STUDY CONTRACT REPORT ESA CONTRACT No: SUBJECT: CONTRACTOR: 17679/03/NL/SFe Solar Kite Mission Feasibility Study – Executive Kingston University Summary *ESA CR() No: *STAR CODE No of Volumes: 1 CONTRACTOR’S This is Volume No: 1 REFERENCE: ABSTRACT: A solar kite is a small solar sail which can be deployed and controlled with a minimum of moving parts. The purpose of the study was to determine whether useful scientific returns could be obtained from kites; whether suitable launch opportunities for them exist; and whether they could be constructed using off-the-shelf components to minimize development costs. A variety of high-value missions have been found which could be performed by kites. These include in particular lunar-related tasks: high resolution imaging of the lunar surface from very low altitude; multispectral imaging of the surface; and imaging the surface at high latitudes, including polar craters, with the aid of light reflected from the kite itself. A kite could also inspect for dust at Earth-Moon Lagrange points, return good quality flyby images of NEO objects such as Earth-transiting asteroids, and conceivably return physical samples to Earth acting as its own low-temperature re-entry parachute. Such missions would have both major scientific utility and significant outreach potential. There are suitable low-cost launch opportunities for kites, in particular as piggyback payloads on GTO vehicles such as Ariane 5. Kites can be