G. Marconi: A Data Relay Satellite for Mars Communications

Mathematics – Logic

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Scientific paper

Mars has always been a source of intrigue and fascination. Recent scientific discoveries have stimulated this longstanding interest, leading to a renaissance in Mars exploration. Future missions to Mars will be capable of long-distance surface mobility, hyperspectral imaging, subsurface exploration, and even life-detection. Manned missions and, eventually, colonies may follow. No mission to the Red Planet stands alone. New scientific and technological knowledge is passed on from one mission to the next, not only improving the journey into space, but also providing benefits here on Earth. The Mars Relay Network, an international constellation of Mars orbiters with relay radios, directly supports other Mars missions by relaying communications between robotic vehicles at Mars and ground stations on Earth. The ability of robotic visitors from Earth to explore Mars will take a gigantic leap forward in 2007 with the launch of the Guglielmo Marconi Orbiter (GMO), the first spacecraft primarily dedicated to providing communication relay, navigation and timing services at Mars. GMO will be the preeminent node of the Mars Relay Network. GMO will relay communications between Earth and robotic vehicles near Mars. GMO will also provide navigation services to spacecraft approaching Mars. GMO will receive transmissions from ground stations on Earth at X-band and will transmit to ground stations on Earth at X- and Ka-bands. GMO will transmit to robotic vehicles at Mars at UHF and receive from these vehicles at UHF and X-band. GMO's baseline 4450 km circular orbit provides complete coverage of the planet for telecommunication and navigation support. GMO will arrive at Mars in mid-2008, just before the NetLander and Mars Scout missions that will be its first users. GMO is designed for a nominal operating lifetime of 10 years and will support nominal commanding and data acquisition, as well as mission critical events such as Mars Orbit Insertion, Entry, Descent and Landing, and Mars Ascent Vehicle launch and Orbiting Sample Canister detection for the Mars Sample Return mission. The GMO mission is a close collaboration between the Italian and American national space agencies and two implementing organizations: Alenia Spazio in Italy and JPL in the United States. As the Italian prime contractor, Alenia Spazio is to design and fabricate the spacecraft bus, integrate the Italian and JPL payloads, support integration of the spacecraft with the launch vehicle, support launch, and conduct mission operations. GMO will use Alenia' s PRIMA spacecraft bus in a deep space configuration. The PRIMA bus is a new design concept, developed under ASI funding, that combines flexibility, low cost and high efficiency. Its modular design makes it adaptable for several classes of missions, including interplanetary.

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