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Mars Cube One

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"MarCO" redirects here. For other uses, see Marco (disambiguation).
Mars Cube One (A & B)
File:MarCO A and B.jpg
Rendering of the two MarCO spacecraft fully deployed
Mission typeCommunications relay test
Mars flyby
OperatorNASA
Websitewww.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/marco.php
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type6U CubeSat
ManufacturerJPL
Launch mass13.5 kg (30 lb) each[1]
Start of mission
Launch date5 May 2018 (2018-05-05), 11:05 UTC[2]
RocketAtlas V 401
Launch siteVandenberg Air Force Base SLC-3E
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance
Orbital parameters
Reference systemheliocentric
Flyby of Mars
Closest approach26 November 2018, 19:52:59 (2018-11-26UTC19:52:59) UTC
Distance3,500 km (2,200 mi)[3]
← GRAIL
Lucy →

Mars Cube One (or MarCO) is a Mars flyby mission that was launched on 5 May 2018 alongside NASA's InSight Mars lander mission. It consists of two nanospacecraft, MarCO-A and MarCO-B, that were able to provide a real-time communications link to Earth for InSight during its entry, descent, and landing (EDL) on 26 November 2018 - when InSight was out of line of sight from the Earth.[4] Both are of the 6U CubeSat format, and the mission is a test of new miniaturized communications and navigation technologies. These are the first CubeSats designed to operate beyond Earth orbit, and aside from telecommunications they also tested CubeSats' endurance in deep space.

The InSight lander retransmitted its telemetry data soon after landing, thus MarCO was not critical for the InSight mission, but rather demonstrated the new relay system and technology for future use in missions to other Solar System bodies which may not have a relay orbiter deployed.

Overview

MarCO A and B monitoring InSight landing (artist concept)

Mars Cube One is the first spacecraft built to the CubeSat form to operate beyond Earth orbit for a deep space mission. CubeSats are made of small components that are desirable for multiple reasons, including low cost of construction,[5] quick development, simple systems, and ease of deployment to low Earth orbit. They have been used for many research purposes, including: biological endeavors, mapping missions, etc. CubeSat technology was developed by California Polytechnic University and Stanford University, with the purpose of quick and easy projects that would allow students to make use of the technology. They are often packaged as part of the payload for a larger mission, making them even more cost effective.[6]

The two Mars Cube One spacecraft are identical and officially called MarCO-A and MarCO-B and were launched together for redundancy; they were nicknamed by JPL engineers as WALL-E and EVE in reference to the main characters in the animated film WALL-E.[7][8] The MarCo mission cost is $18.5 million USD.[9]

Launch

The launch of Mars Cube One was managed by NASA's Launch Services Program. The launch was originally scheduled for 4 March 2016 on an Atlas V 401,[10] but the mission was postponed to 5 May 2018 after a major test failure of an InSight scientific instrument.[11] The Atlas V rocket launched the spacecraft together with InSight, then the two MarCO separated soon after launch to fly their own trajectory to Mars[12] in order to test CubeSats' endurance and navigation in deep space.[13][14]

During the cruise phase, the two spacecraft were kept about 10,000 km (6,200 mi) away from InSight at either flank for safety, and the distance was reduced as the three spacecraft approached Mars.[9] The closest flyby distance to Mars was 3,500 km (2,200 mi).[3]

Objectives

View of Mars from MarCO-B during its flyby on 26 November 2018.

The primary mission of MarCO is to test new miniaturized communication and navigation technologies. They were able to provide real-time communication relay while the InSight lander was in the entry, descent, landing phase.[15]

The MarCO spacecraft flew as a pair for redundancy, and were trailing InSight at either side. While there are a large number of CubeSats around Earth, Mars Cube One is the first CubeSat mission to go beyond Earth orbit. This allowed for collection of unique data outside of the Earth's atmosphere and orbit. In addition to serving as communications relays, they also tested the CubeSat components' endurance and navigation capabilities in deep space. Instead of waiting several hours for the information to relay back to Earth directly from the InSight lander, MarCO thus relayed EDL-critical data 8 minutes after the completion of the landing.[16][15] The information sent to Earth included an image from InSight of the Martian surface right after the lander touched down.[17][18]

Without the MarCO CubeSats, InSight would relay the flight information to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) which does not transmit information as quickly. Seeing the already-present difficulty in communicating with ground control during especially risky situations, various teams set out to revise the way in which data is relayed back to Earth. Previous missions would send data directly to Earth after landing, or to nearby orbiters, which would then relay the information.[15] Future missions may no longer choose to rely on these methods, since CubeSats may be able to improve data relay in real time, as well as reduce the overall mission cost.[12]

Views from MarCO
Mars (24 November 2018)
Mars (2 October 2018)
Earth and Moon (9 May 2018)

Design and components

Flight hardware of a Mars Cube One

The design includes two communication-relay CubeSats, built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which are of the 6U specification (10×20×30 cm). A limiting factor to the development of CubeSats is that all necessary components must fit within the frame of the satellite. It must contain the antenna, avionics to control the satellite, a propulsion system, power, and payload.[15]

Relay

On board the two CubeSats is an ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna which is circularly polarized. The EDL information from InSight was transmitted through the UHF band at 8 kbit/s to the CubeSats, and was simultaneously retransmitted at an X band frequency at 8 kbit/s to Earth.[15] MarCO used a deployable solar panel for power, but because of the limitations in solar panel efficiency, the power for the X-band frequency can only be about 5 watts.

In order for the CubeSats to be able to relay information, they need to have a high gain antenna (HGA) which is reliable, meets the mass specs, has low complexity, and is affordable to build. A high gain antenna is one that has a focused, narrow radiowave beam width (directional antenna). Three possible types of antennas were assessed: a standard microstrip patch antenna, a reflectarray, and a mesh reflector. With the small, flat, size required for the CubeSats, the reflectarray antenna type met all of the mission needs. The components of a reflectarray HGA are three folded panels, a root hinge which connects the wings to the body of the CubeSat, four wing hinges, and a burn wire release mechanism. The antenna panels must be able to withstand a varying degree of temperature changes throughout the mission as well as vibrations throughout deployment.[15] MarCO relayed EDL-critical data 8 minutes after the completion of the landing.[16]

Propulsion

The propulsion system features eight cold gas thrusters which control the trajectory, and a reaction control system to adjust their attitude (orientation).[19] On the way to the correct transmission destination, the propulsion system made five small corrections to ensure the two small spacecraft were on the correct trajectory.[20] Small changes in trajectory early on in the mission's deployment not only saved fuel but also the space which any extra fuel would have taken up, thus conserving volume for other important components inside the spacecraft. MarCO-B (WALL-E) has been leaking propellant gas almost since liftoff, but has enough to complete its mission.[9]

After they complete their mission, the small spacecraft will continue in elliptical orbits around the Sun. Engineers expect them to keep working for a couple weeks after they pass Mars, depending on how long their electronics last.[9]

Similar missions beyond Earth orbit

The upcoming Exploration Mission 1 to the Moon will carry 13 CubeSats as secondary payloads. Each CubeSat is being developed by a different team with different goals.[21]

See also

Wikinews has related news:

References

  1. ^ Mars InSight Launch Press Kit. NASA, 2018.
  2. ^ Clark, Stephen (9 March 2016). "InSight Mars lander escapes cancellation, aims for 2018 launch". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b MarCO: Planetary CubeSats Become Real. Van Kane, The Planetary Society. 8 July 2015.
  4. ^ Asmar, Sami; Matousek, Steve (20 November 2014). "Mars Cube One (MarCO) - The First Planetary CubeSat Mission" (PDF). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  5. ^ Hotz, Robert Lee (November 22, 2018). "Headed to Mars - A Big Experiment in Tiny Satellites: Briefcase-sized CubeSats, commonly used in Earth's orbit, take an interplanetary journey". Wall Street Journal. Rapidly approaching Mars are the two smallest and cheapest spacecraft to ever cross between the planets, in the vanguard of what U.S. and European satellite designers hope one day will be swarms of tiny probes prowling the solar system.
  6. ^ Hand, Eric (2015-04-10). "Thinking inside the box". Science. 348 (6231): 176–177. doi:10.1126/science.348.6231.176. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 25859027.
  7. ^ NASA's Mars Cubesats 'Wall-E' and 'Eva' Will Be First at Another Planet. Elizabeth Howell, Space. 1 May 2018.
  8. ^ NASA's First Image of Mars from a CubeSat. JPL press release. 22 October 2018
  9. ^ a b c d Big test coming up for tiny satellites trailing Mars lander. Marcia Dunn, PhysOrg. 22 November 2018.
  10. ^ "NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for InSight Mission". NASA. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  11. ^ "NASA calls off next Mars mission because of instrument leak". Excite News. Associated Press. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Mars Cube One (MarCO)". jpl.nasa.gov. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  13. ^ JPL’s Advanced CubeSat Concepts for Interplanetary Science and Exploration Missions. (PDF). Sara Spangelo, Julie Castillo-Rogez, Andy Frick, Andy Klesh, Brent Sherwood. CubeSat Workshop 2015. August 2015.
  14. ^ NASA's First Deep-Space CubeSats Say: 'Polo!'. NASA News. 6 May 2018
  15. ^ a b c d e f Hodges, Richard E. (21 February 2017). "A Deployable High-Gain Antenna Bound for Mars: Developing a New Folded-panel Reflectarray for the First CubeSat Mission to Mars". IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine. 59: 39–49. doi:10.1109/MAP.2017.2655561 – via IEEE Xplore Digital Library.
  16. ^ a b NASA InSight Team on Course for Mars Touchdown. NASA News. 21 November 2018.
  17. ^ NASA’s InSight Mission Triumphantly Touches Down on Mars. Ian O'Neill, Scientific American. 26 November 2018.
  18. ^ How NASA Will Know When InSight Touches Down. Andrew Good, NASA News. 16 November 2018.
  19. ^ VACCO - CubeSat Propulsion Systems. VACCO. 2017.
  20. ^ "Two Tiny 'CubeSats' Will Watch 2016 Mars Landing". jpl.nasa.gov. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  21. ^ Hambleton, Kathryn. "NASA Space Launch System's First Flight to Send Small Sci-Tech Satellites Into Space". nasa.gov. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
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