Project Lyra: A Mission to 1I/'Oumuamua without Solar Oberth Manoeuvre

Abstract

To settle the question of the nature of the interstellar object 1I/'Oumuamua requires in-situ observations via a spacecraft, as the object is already out of range of existing telescopes. Most previous proposals for reaching 1I/'Oumuamua using near-term technologies are based on the Solar Oberth Manoeuvre (SOM), as trajectories without the SOM are generally significantly inferior in terms of lower mission duration and higher total velocity requirement. While the SOM allows huge velocity gains, it is also technically challenging and thereby increases programmatic and mission-related risks. In this paper, we identify an alternative route to the interstellar object 1I/'Oumuamua, based on a launch in 2028, which does not require a SOM but has a similar performance as missions with a SOM. It instead employs a Jupiter Oberth Manoeuvre (JOM) with a total time of flight of around 26 years or so. The efficacy of this trajectory is a result of it significantly reducing the $\Delta$V to Jupiter by exploiting the VEEGA sequence. The total $\Delta$V of the trajectory is 15.8 $km{s}^{-1}$ and the corresponding payload mass is 115 kg for a SLS Block 1B or 241 kg for a Block 2. A further advantage of the JOM is that the arrival speed relative to 1I/'Oumuamua is approximately 18 $km{s}^{-1}$, much lower than the equivalent for the SOM of around 30 $km{s}^{-1}$.

arXiv comment6 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables

References in corpus (13)

• Initial Characterization of Interstellar Comet 2I/2019 Q4 (Borisov)
• Could Solar Radiation Pressure Explain 'Oumuamua's Peculiar Acceleration?
• The Natural History of 'Oumuamua
• The origin of interstellar asteroidal objects like 1I/2017 U1 'Oumuamua
• The Feasibility and Benefits of In Situ Exploration of `Oumuamua-like objects
• 1I/'Oumuamua as an N2 ice fragment of an exo-pluto surface. II. Generation of N2 ice fragments and the origin of 'Oumuamua
• Interstellar object 'Oumuamua as an extinct fragment of an ejected cometary planetesimal
• 1I/'Oumuamua as an N2 ice fragment of an exo-Pluto surface: I. size and compositional constraints
• The interstellar object 'Oumuamua as a fractal dust aggregate
• Project Lyra: Catching 1I/'Oumuamua - Mission Opportunities After 2024
• Interstellar Now! Missions to and Sample Returns from Nearby Interstellar Objects
• Project Lyra: Catching 1I/'Oumuamua Using Nuclear Thermal Rockets
• Analysis of Mission Opportunities to Sedna in 2029-2034

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Numerical Simulations of Tidal Deformation and Resulting Light Curves of Small Bodies: Material Constraints of 99942 Apophis and 1I/`Oumuamua