Return to the Kuiper Belt: launch opportunities from 2025 to 2040

TL;DR

This paper models spacecraft trajectories to 45 Kuiper Belt Objects and Pluto from 2025 to 2040, exploring launch windows, gravity assists, and mission durations to inform future mission planning.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive trajectory analysis for Kuiper Belt missions using a custom Lambert solver, considering various planetary flybys and mission durations.

Findings

All 45 KBOs and Pluto reachable within 25 years with a Jupiter flyby.

Non-Jupiter flybys can extend mission options but are less efficient.

Multiple flyby options offer potential for enhanced scientific return.

Abstract

Preliminary spacecraft trajectories for 45 Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) and Pluto suitable for launch between 2025 and 2040 are presented. These 46 objects comprise all objects with H magnitude < 4.0 or which have received a name from the International Astronomical Union as of May 2018. Using a custom Lambert solver, trajectories are modeled after the New Horizons mission to Pluto-Charon, which consisted of a fast launch with a Jupiter gravity assist. In addition to searching for Earth-Jupiter-KBO trajectories, Earth-Saturn-KBO trajectories are examined, with the option to add on a flyby to either Uranus or Neptune. With a single Jupiter gravity assist, all 45 KBOs and Pluto can be reached within a 25 year maximum mission duration. A more limited number can be reached when non-Jupiter flybys are added, and the KBOs that can be reached via these alternate routes are listed. In most cases, a single Jupiter flyby is the most efficient way to get to the Kuiper Belt, but the science return from revisiting Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune may add substantial value to a mission, so alternate flybys should be considered.