Phase 1 Study for the Phobos L1 Operational Tether Experiment (PHLOTE)

NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program selected the PHLOTE mission proposal for a 2017 Phase 1 study. This PHLOTE study provides a credible example of an innovative mission architecture that can be used to enable many future missions throughout the solar system.One of the key Phase 1 deliverables identified in the PHLOTE proposal is this Study Report which is derived from the PHLOTE Concept of Operations (ConOps) Document developed during the study. The PHLOTE ConOps describes the PHLOTE mission and also provides a key systems engineering document to support future mission development.Since this report was produced as part of a NIAC feasibility study, it is intended to be publicly released at the completion of the NIAC study. Significant support was provided through the collaboration of NASA and PHLOTE team members from Space Technology And Research (STAR) Inc. and from the Clouds Architecture Office (Clouds AO). The NASA team was supported by summer and fall interns from five separate universities.