A SURVEY OF MISSION OPPORTUNITIES TO TRANS-NEPTUNIAN OBJECTS - PART 7: UTILIZATION OF A DELTA-VEGA MANEUVER

Trans-Neptunian Objects have gained interest in lieu of the success of the New Horizons mission. This paper seeks to further the design possibilities for such missions by offering sixteen trajectories to TNO’s by incorporating a Delta-VEGA maneuver, which allows for increased payload mass. These trajectories were simulated using Spaceflight Solution’s Mission Analysis Environment software, which allowed for constraining of mission parameters for optimization. The trajectories were made to have a C3 below 40 km²/s², minimized transit time, and minimized ΔV. Results are visualized in Figures 3-6 as well as Table 1, which contain all relevant descriptive parameters.