Mission Steering Profiles of Outer Planetary Orbiters Using Radioisotope Electric Propulsion

Radioisotope Electric Propulsion (REP) has the potential to enable small spacecraft to orbit outer planetary targets with trip times comparable to flyby missions. The ability to transition from a flyby to an orbiter mission lies in the availability of continuous low power electric propulsion along the entire trajectory. The electric propulsion system’s role is to add and remove energy from the spacecraft’s trajectory to bring it in and out of a heliocentric hyperbolic escape trajectory for the outermost target bodies. Energy is added and the trajectory is reshaped to rendezvous with the closer‐in target bodies. Sample REP trajectories will be presented for missions ranging for distances from Jupiter orbit to the Pluto‐Kuiper Belt.