Prometheus – A Low-Cost Microsatellite Flyby Mission of 4179 Toutatis

F. Kennedy; I. Coxhill; E. Imre; J. Fielding; S. Atek; V. Lappas; T. Kormos; M. Freebody (2003), JBIS, 56, 299-307

Refcode: 2003.56.299

Abstract:
An interplanetary small satellite mission is presented in this paper. The mission is to capture a series of images of a Near Earth Object (NEO) and transmit them back to Earth. In this work a full design and system description of the satellite is presented along with a simple outline of the mission and the expected imagery received. The aim of the design process was to produce a practical, low-cost, small satellite mission with mainly commercial off-the-shelf components and a rapid development schedule. Despite difficult mass and volumetric constraints, the Prometheus team was able to establish that a small microsatellite observation mission for NEOs appears feasible in the near-term.