Enabling In-Situ Exploration of the Ice Giants Using Aerocapture

Investigation of the Ice Giants,
especially Uranus, via orbiter and atmospheric probes,
is required to answer pressing science questions that
have been raised in the latest Decadal Survey. As
the Ice Giants are the farthest planets from Earth,
traditional fully-propulsive orbit insertion missions
have transit times to the planetary bodies nearing 13-
15 years and require a large amount of propellant,
leaving less mass for the scientific payload and a
planetary probe (dry mass percentages of around 30-
40%). Aerocapture uses aerodynamic forces
generated by flight within a planetary atmosphere to
decelerate and achieve orbit insertion. Although,
aerocapture has not been used in the past, recent
developments in thermal protection systems (TPS),
guidance and control, and interplanetary navigation
capabilities enable the use of rigid, heritage entry
vehicle configurations already flown at other planetary
bodies for Ice Giants aerocapture. Aerocapture can
robustly deliver spacecraft to Ice Giant orbits, while
substantially increasing on-orbit payload mass (more
than 40%) that can be used for a robust
atmospheric entry probe. Additionally, the aerocapture
maneuver would reduce the interplanetary transit time
by 2-5 years (15-30%) relative to fully-propulsive orbit
insertion.