NASA Uranus orbiter and probe
A Uranus orbiter and probe is a mission concept for study of the planet Uranus. It was first recommended to NASA in 2011 by its .
NASA evaluated in 2017 twenty different mission designs submitted by the scientific community, considering mission trades, trajectories, and the technology required for specific objectives. Because of planet position and alignments, Neptune was dropped in favor of Uranus. If funded, the proposed mission would launch in the 2020s with launch-windows of 21 days every year.
Overview
The survey listed the Uranus orbiter and probe as the third priority for a Flagship mission after what would become the Mars 2020 rover and an orbiter to Europa, the Europa Clipper. The SLS rocket has been proposed by Boeing as a launch vehicle for the Uranian probe.Although a chemical propulsion mission to Uranus is possible, solar electric propulsion is an option for the first portion of the journey because it allows a larger spacecraft mass. The committee narrowed the mission concepts to three scenarios.
Flyby and atmospheric probe | Orbiter and atmospheric probe | Orbiter without atmospheric probe | |
Science goals | Interior structure, composition | Interior structure, composition, rings, moons, magnetospheres | Interior structure, composition, rings, moons, magnetospheres |
Science payload | 3 instruments | 3 instruments | 15 instruments |
Propulsion | Chemical and solar electric propulsion within the inner Solar System region | Chemical | Chemical |
Flight time | 10 years | 15 years | 15 years |
Time in orbit | Flyby | 3 years | 3 years |
Power | 4 MMRTG 425 W | 4 MMRTG 376 W | 5 MMRTG 470 W |
The atmospheric probe element of this mission would study the vertical distribution of cloud-forming molecules, thermal stratification, and wind speed as a function of depth. The 2010 mission design envisioned a probe of 127 kg, less than half that of the Galileo atmospheric probe. A later design study suggested that the probe could be as small as 30 kg in mass and about 0.5m in diameter.
There is also a study that recommended a medium-class concept for the New Frontiers program to develop such an orbiter for Uranus.