Asteroid Capture Mission

Space Things Inc.

Kaitlin Russell, Elizabeth Powers, and Chris Sallis

December 1st, 2017

MAE 468
 Table of Contents
1. Introduction 2
2. Background 2
3. Description of Analysis and Assumptions 2
a. Orbital Mechanics 2
b. Sizing 7
c. Attitude Control 7
d. Communication 7
e. Power 8
f. Thermal 9
g. Launch Vehicles 11
4. Summary of Results 11
a. Total Sizing and Mass Breakdown 11
b. Cost 11
c. Overall Results 11
5. Conclusions 11
6. References 12
7. Appendices 12

Figures

1. Orbital Elements
2. Departure Positions
3. Arrival Position
4. Return Departure Positions
5. Planned Transfer Orbit
6. Power vs. Distance from Sun
7. Hot Side Temperature of Spacecraft vs Distance from Sun
8. Cold Side Temperature of Spacecraft vs Distance from Sun

Tables

1. Delta V and TOF for each phase

2. Spacecraft sizing Parameters
3. Altitude Control
4. Altitude Control Analysis
5. Weight of Individual Systems
6. Cost Breakdown

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I. Introduction
We are a small engineering firm that specializes in development of advanced concepts for
spacecraft missions. We have been approached by investors about the potential for capturing
a Near Earth Object (NEO) asteroid of 30 meters in diameter or less, specifically the 1998
KY26 asteroid, and moving it to Earth orbit. The asteroid could be used for potential mining,
science, leasing, and other business opportunities in the commercial space market. We are
developing a conceptual mission that evaluates the technical complexity, cost, and schedule
of such an endeavor in order to determine mission feasibility. Because we specialize in orbital
missions and advanced spacecraft concepts, we have enlisted the help of another small
company for development of the structures and mechanisms that will be used to capture the
asteroid.
Our team is responsible for the preliminary design of the orbit trajectory, propulsion,
power, thermal, guidance, attitude control, and communication subsystems. We must develop
a feasible design solution that is competitive with the approach of competition approached by
the investors. Our goal is to design a cost-effective spacecraft that will fly from Earth to the
asteroid, enter an orbit and land on the asteroid, deploy a propulsion system on the surface,
and using that propulsion system fly the asteroid back to Earth orbit to place it in a 5000 km
altitude circular orbit for study.

II. Background
Asteroid 1998 KY26 is a small 30-meter wide asteroid that not only spins very quickly,
but is home to a plethora of water. KY26 is classified in the Apollo group of near-Earth
objects and was first observed in June of 1998. The asteroid has an orbital period about the
sun of roughly 500 days and orbits on an inclination of 1.5 degrees. This paper details a
mission in which the goal is to retrieve the asteroid and place it in a 5000 km orbit around the
earth. 1998 KY26 is chosen because it is near enough and small enough to Earth to make a
capture mission is actually feasible.

III. Description of Analysis and Assumptions

a. Orbital Mechanics
This mission was designed to launch a spacecraft (s/c) from Earth, with an initial
inclination of 28.5°, to intercept the KY26 1988 Asteroid, wait 10 days to install the
propulsion system, and return it to a 500km altitude Earth parking orbit at an inclination
of 28.5°. The orbital elements for the KY26 orbit is shown in Figure 1​.

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 Figure 1: KY26 Orbital Elements

A 1000km altitude circular parking orbit around Earth was selected for the initial orbit.
To help minimize the total mission ΔV, a Hohmann transfer was used for the transfer
orbit from Earth to KY26 orbit apoapsis. Since the transfer orbit is a Hohmann transfer,
the time of flight (TOF) from Earth to KY26 apoapsis is half the orbital period of KY26,
which results in 252 days. NASA’s Horizons Ephemeris Calculator [​REFERENCE​] was
used to find dates in which Earth was positioned along the KY26 line of nodes, closest to
the KY26 periapsis, and would intercept the KY26 apoapsis 252 days later with the
KY26 asteroid positioned at its apoapsis. The initial launch data was selected as August
6, 2020. The TOF from the Earth surface to the 1000km Earth parking orbit was
neglected since this transfer would take less than 1 day. Figure 2 shows the heliocentric
Earth and KY26 positions at the time of Earth orbit departure.

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 Figure 2: KY26 and Earth positions at Earth departure

Figure 3 shows the heliocentric Earth and KY26 positions at the time of arrival at KY26
apoapsis, 252 days from the launch date.

Figure 3: KY26 and Earth positions at KY26 apoapsis arrival

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The arrival date at KY26 apoapsis is February 6, 2021. These dates were also selected
based on the position of Earth at KY26 arrival. To minimize the total mission time, the
dates were selected that placed Earth 140 days away, or closer, from crossing the KY26
line of nodes at the time of KY26 orbit departure on February 16, 2021, as shown in
Figure 4.

Figure 4: KY26 and Earth positions at KY26 orbit departure

This would allow for a transfer orbit with small eccentricity to further reduce the ΔV to
initiate the transfer orbit, as well as minimizing the Earth arrival flight path angle. The
planned Earth intercept was to occur 120 days after the initial KY26 arrival. Figure 5
shows the heliocentric position of Earth at the time of planned intercept of KY26 with the
500km parking orbit.

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Figure 5: Planned transfer orbit from KY26 orbit to Earth 500km parking orbit

However, we were unable to calculate the orbital elements required for this type of orbit.
What was achieved was an orbit that arrived at the desired point in 220 days instead of
110 days, but of course Earth would not be at that position.

The ΔV and TOF for each phase of flight is shown below in ​TABLE​.

Table 1: ΔV and TOF for each phase of flight

Since we were unable to calculate the correct return orbit, the ΔV for each phase were
assumed based on the ΔV for the initial transfer orbit. These numbers are slightly lower

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 than a Hohmann transfer, which typically has the lowest ΔV for a transfer orbit,
however the intended return orbit eccentricity would only be a small deviation from the
original KY26 orbit, and as a result should have similar results to the initial Hohmann.
The total mission TOF is based on calculating a successful 110 day TOF for the KY26
transfer orbit to Earth 1000km parking orbit. The code used to calculate the transfer orbit
trajectories is provided in ​APPENDIX​.

b. Spacecraft Sizing
To determine the s/c mass at each phase of flight and the required propellant mass for
each phase of the mission, the analysis was performed at the last stage of flight working
backwards to the launch. The results of the spacecraft size analysis are shown below in
Table 2. The code used to calculate these parameters is provided in ​APPENDIX​. Since
the ΔV was assumed for the KY26 orbit, and the calculations were unable to calculate a
realistic propellant mass, an assumed propellant mass was used for the KY26 return orbit
and 500km circularization and plane change burns. These assumed values were based off
historical IMF charts and previous missions that used electric propulsion with similar
ΔV’s.

Table 2: Spacecraft Sizing Parameters

Based on the total spacecraft and propellant mass, the Delta IV Heavy was selected for
the launch vehicle due to its high launch mass and Isp for each stage. If the assumed ΔV
and propellant masses are accurate, this mission would be feasible as the initial launch
mass is less than the 733,000 launch mass of the Delta IV Heavy.

c. Attitude Control
The physical spacecraft dimensions were selected based on the largest available
payload fairing dimensions. The resulting s/c parameters used for calculating the attitude
control parameters are shown in Table 3. The resulting gravity gradient and solar torque
were calculated to determine necessary momentum to dump each orbit and the resulting

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 propellant mass to do so. Due to the large mass of the spacecraft, the resulting torque
forces and propellant mass required were so low, they could be neglected from the overall
scope of the mission. These results are shown in Table 4. The code used to calculate the
attitude control parameters is provided in ​APPENDIX​.

Table 3: Spacecraft Parameters used for Attitude Control Analysis

Table 4: Attitude Control Analysis

d. Communication
For the communication subsystems, the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft was
used for inspiration. Our communication system operates at 100 Watts of power on a
0.45 GHz frequency. The transmitter diameter is 1.5 m. Data will be received by the
Deep Space Network 70 meter diameter antenna. Inputs and results can be seen in
Appendix A. The final weight of the transmitting antenna is 13.06 kg.
e. Power Subsystem

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 The spacecraft will be carrying imaging and communications instruments that
will require power for the duration of the mission. The imaging instruments require 50
Watts of continuous power while the communications equipment will require 100 Watts
of continuous power. There must also be an additional 764 Watts of continuous power to
driver the spacecrafts various subsystems. To provide this power, the spacecraft is
outfitted with 11 square meters of flex-folding, single-junction Gallium arsenide (GaAs)
solar arrays. As the spacecraft travels further from the sun, the power produced by the
solar array is reduced (figure 1).

Figure 6: Power vs Distance from Sun

As such the solar arrays are sized in accordance with the power they can produce
at the farthest point from the sun. The study also accounts for the degradation of the solar
cells over the lifetime of the mission. GaAs degrade at a rate of about 2.75% per year.
After taking this and the overall distance into account the 11 square meter area was
decided. This adds about 22 kgs to the overall mass of the mission. In addition to the
solar array there is a 76 kg cadmium lithium battery that will be used prior to solar cell
deployment and and as a backup incase there is a temporary issue with the solar array.
f. Thermal Subsystem
Based off of the spacecraft's payload it is known that the payload will have a
combined heat waste of 420 Watts. After careful consideration it was decided that the
spacecraft’s temperature would be managed using only the waste heat generated and
varying layers of insulation. For the “hot” or sun-facing side of the spacecraft it was
decided that a 2 millimeter coating of silvered teflon would be sufficient enough to keep
the spacecraft within the desired 5-30 degree celsius range. For the “cold” or dark side of
the spacecraft a thin sheet of molybdenum will be used to insulate the spacecraft. This
material was chosen because It is emissive enough to allow some heat to escape to
prevent over-heating but holds in enough heat the keep the spacecraft operational.

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Although molybdenum is a heavier material, a very,very thin layer of it is being used
(about 0.001mm). Figures 2 and 3 will show the temperature of the hot and cold side of
the spacecraft for the duration of the mission.

Figure 7: Hot Side Temperature of Spacecraft

Figure 8: Cold Side Temp of Spacecraft

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As it can be seen from the graphs the layers of insulation are sufficient enough to keep the spacecraft
within the desired range of temperatures for the entire mission.
g. Launch Vehicles
The Delta IV Heavy was chosen because it is able to lift the mass of the payload while
also having a high enough Isp.
IV. Summary of Results
a. Total Sizing and Mass Breakdown of the Subsystems

Table 5: Weight of Each System

System Mass

Communication 30 kg

Imaging 60 kg

Power (Solar Panel + Battery) (22 + 76) 98 kg

Thermal < 1 kg

Attitude Control 20,883 kg

Spacecraft 16,401 kg

Propellant 12,762 kg

Total 50,234 kg

b. Cost
Table 6: Mission Cost Breakdown
Mission Life $30 million / year 1.293 years $38.79 million

Craft+Propellant $0.3 million / kg 50,234 kg $15 billion

Launch Vehicle Delta IV Heavy $259.6 million

c. Overall Results
To complete the asteroid retrieval mission, a spacecraft of total weight 16,401 kg with
12,762 kg of propellant will be launched on a Delta IV Heavy rocket. The mission will
take a total of 472 days from launch to retrieve the asteroid and return it to Earth orbit.
The total cost of the mission will be $15.37 billion.

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V. Conclusions
The total cost for this mission is $15.37 billion and the total time from launch is 472 days.
This mission of direct asteroid retrieval may not be the most cost efficient method. The
large amount of propellant needed can be cost prohibitive. It may be more beneficial to
wait until propulsion becomes more advanced to reduce the cost of the launch vehicle and
reduce spacecraft propellant cost. Other approaches may include capturing asteroids on a
collision course with Earth, removing the need to travel far to retrieve them. While this
mission is doable, it is very expensive due to the amount of propellant needed to return
the asteroid to Earth orbit.
VI. References

1. “Astronomy Picture of the Day ,” ​NASA​ Available:

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020919.html.

2. “1998 KY26,” ​Wikipedia​ Available: h​ ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_KY26​.

3. NASA JPL Small-Body Database Browser. ​1998 KY26

https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=1998%20KY26;old=0;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0
#orb

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 Appendices

Appendix A

A.1 Communications

Frequency 450000000 Hz
D transmitter 1.5 m
n transmitter 0.55
Ts transmitter 600 K
Ts receiver 21 K
Tp trans 100 W
Dist to earth at farthest point 371000000 km
n receiver 0.7
D receiver 70 m

Ptrans (dB) 20
Gtrans (dB) 14.38970235
EIRP (dB) 34.38970235
Lp (dB) 196.8517285
Lother (dB) 1
Grec (dB) 48.81719148
Eb/No (dB) 15.03923332
Margin (dB) 10.83923332
Wantenna (kg) 13.0625

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 A.2 Thermal And Power Calculations

format ​longg

P_planetary = 332.93*log(150)-1046.6;

P_subsys = (P_planetary-150)*1.3;

Ptotal = 150 + P_subsys

T_transfer_orbit = 2*pi*sqrt(185652217^3/(1.327*10^11));

T_transfer_orbit = T_transfer_orbit*0.00001157;

beta = acosd(969000/(969000+221700000));

% beta = beta*pi/180;

alpha = asind((969000*tand(beta))/((969000+221700000)*cosd(1.5)));

%%%% No time in darkness %%%% Makes sense

P_sa = (Ptotal*T_transfer_orbit/0.85)/T_transfer_orbit

R = 149.6:222;

H = (149.6./R).^2

P_0 = 253*H

figure(1)

plot(R,P_0)

xlabel(​'Distance From Sun [Millions of Km]'​)

ylabel(​'Power Delivered by 1 m^2 of the solar Cell [W]'​)

P_BOL = P_0.*0.77*cosd(1.5);

P_EOL = P_BOL.*(1-0.0275).^1.1

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A_sa = P_sa./P_EOL;

figure(2)

plot(R,A_sa)

xlabel(​'Distance From Sun [Millions of Km]'​)

ylabel(​'Solar Array Area [m^2]'​)

% using 11 square meters of solar panels (graph 3)that fold out rigidly

% Use mass required for farthest distance from sun

Sa_mass = 11*1.9

Battery mass with 44 min eclipse at 28.5 degree

inclination
NiCd assuming 97% efficiency and 25 Whr/kg use several to power spacecraft during
inclination change and circular orbit

E_b = (Ptotal*44/60)/(0.3*0.97);

Mass_battery = E_b/25

TCS
Operating range for all components averages 5-20 degrees C Using 24 square meters

SolarFlux = 1376*(149.6./R).^2

R_earth = 0.000185:2.52054541:183;

radius = 2.5;

qearthIR = 237*(6378^2./(6378+R_earth).^2)

A_solar = pi*radius^2

A_rad = 24

T_hot = (SolarFlux*0.05*A_solar + 0.35*1367*0.05*A_solar +​...

(qearthIR+18)*A_solar + 420)/(24*0.66*(5.67*10^-8));

T_hot = T_hot.^(1/4);

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T_hot = T_hot -273.15;

figure(2)

plot(R,T_hot)

xlabel(​'Distance from Sun [Millions of km]'​)

ylabel(​'Temperature of Hot side [C]'​)

T_cold = ((qearthIR-18)*A_solar + 420)/(24*0.5*(5.67*10^-8));

T_cold = T_cold.^(1/4) - 273.15;

figure(3)

plot(R,T_cold)

xlabel(​'Distance from Sun [Millions of km]'​)

ylabel(​'Temperature of Cold side [C]'​)

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 A.3 Asteroid Information [3]

1998 KY26

Discovered by Astronomer Tom Gehrels

Discovery date 28 May 1998

MPC designation - 1998 KY26

Minor planet category - NEO · Apollo 

Epoch - 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)

Uncertainty parameter - 3
Observation arc 11 days
Aphelion|Aphelion 1.4816 AU
Perihelion|Perihelion 0.9841 AU
Semi-major axis - 1.2329 AU
Eccentricity - 0.2018
Orbital period - 1.37 yr (500 days)
Mean anomaly - 359.56°
Mean motion - 0° 43m 12s / day
Inclination - 1.4810°
Longitude of ascending node - 84.366°
Argument of perihelion - 209.37°
Earth MOID - 0.0024 AU · 0.93 LD

Dimensions 0.03 km[5]

Rotation period - 0.1782 h 0.1784 h
Geometric albedo - 0.12 0.124 (derived)
Spectral type - X 
Absolute magnitude (H) - 25.0 · 25.5

3g/cm^3 density = 3000 kg/m^3

assume a sphere

30m diameter 15m

V=14,137.17

V = 42.4810^6 kg

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