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- Golemis, Aris, et al.
(author)
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KvarkenSat: mission concept and technical overview of a 2U Swedish - Finnish CubeSat
- 2021
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In: IAC 2021 Congress Proceedings, 72<sup>nd</sup> International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Dubai, United Arab Emirates. - : International Astronautical Federation (IAF).
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Kvarken Space Centre is a project conducted by a consortium of Finnish and Swedish academic institutions aiming to enhance the economic activities of the Kvarken region shared by the two countries, by improving the regional competence in space technology. In this framework, the consortium is developing a first 2UCubeSat, namely KvarkenSat, with the goal of exhibiting the regional capabilities in satellite developmentvia performing science and in-orbit demonstration of Finnish payloads. Since the main areas of interestare forestry and sea transportation, the CubeSat will integrate a multispectral camera for forest health and seawater quality analysis and an automatic identification system (AIS) receiver for sea vessel tracking. In addition, the spacecraft will perform the in-orbit demonstration of a miniature water-based resistojet thruster system. KvarkenSat’s last payload will comprise a GNSS receiver that will extract raw data inorder to conduct precise point positioning (PPP) algorithm research. This work is meant to present the mission concept, objectives and technical overview of the current design. The launch of KvarkenSat is planned for Q4 2022 from northern Sweden.
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- Jones, Geraint H., et al.
(author)
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The Comet Interceptor Mission
- 2024
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In: Space Science Reviews. - : Springer Nature. - 0038-6308 .- 1572-9672. ; 220:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Here we describe the novel, multi-point Comet Interceptor mission. It is dedicated to the exploration of a little-processed long-period comet, possibly entering the inner Solar System for the first time, or to encounter an interstellar object originating at another star. The objectives of the mission are to address the following questions: What are the surface composition, shape, morphology, and structure of the target object? What is the composition of the gas and dust in the coma, its connection to the nucleus, and the nature of its interaction with the solar wind? The mission was proposed to the European Space Agency in 2018, and formally adopted by the agency in June 2022, for launch in 2029 together with the Ariel mission. Comet Interceptor will take advantage of the opportunity presented by ESA’s F-Class call for fast, flexible, low-cost missions to which it was proposed. The call required a launch to a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. The mission can take advantage of this placement to wait for the discovery of a suitable comet reachable with its minimum Δ V capability of 600 ms − 1 . Comet Interceptor will be unique in encountering and studying, at a nominal closest approach distance of 1000 km, a comet that represents a near-pristine sample of material from the formation of the Solar System. It will also add a capability that no previous cometary mission has had, which is to deploy two sub-probes – B1, provided by the Japanese space agency, JAXA, and B2 – that will follow different trajectories through the coma. While the main probe passes at a nominal 1000 km distance, probes B1 and B2 will follow different chords through the coma at distances of 850 km and 400 km, respectively. The result will be unique, simultaneous, spatially resolved information of the 3-dimensional properties of the target comet and its interaction with the space environment. We present the mission’s science background leading to these objectives, as well as an overview of the scientific instruments, mission design, and schedule.
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