Rocket Lab’s mission to Venus, launching in January 2025, aims to demonstrate that small launch vehicles, such as Electron, and high-energy small spacecraft, such as Photon, can enable a new paradigm of regular, low-cost interplanetary missions. The primary science mission involves a small ~20 kg direct entry probe that will sample the Venusian cloud layers with an autofluorescing nephelomoeter. The entry probe thermal protection system (TPS) is even more critical than usual due to the selected entry trajectory and the lack of suitable heritage TPS materials. NASA’s newly developed 3D Woven Carbon Phenolic, a derivative of the Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) material, is an enabling technology for this mission, and it will comprise the probe forebody heat shield. The work that led to the selection of 3D Woven Carbon Phenolic, the TPS cost-reduction approaches taken, and the future possibilities of such an approach to probe development are presented.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Rocket Lab Venus - Enabling Low-Cost Interplanetary Missions


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    20th International Planetary Probe Workshop (IPPW 2023) ; 2023 ; Marseille, FR


    Type of media :

    Miscellaneous


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Rocket Lab Venus - Enabling Low-Cost Interplanetary Missions

    Lyle Campbell / Philipp Dahm / Christophe Mandy et al. | NTRS


    Enabling interplanetary small spacecraft missions

    Komarek, Tom / Giersch, Lou / Stamenkovic, Vlada et al. | NTRS | 2018


    Interplanetary Trajectory Analysis for 2020-2040 Mars Missions Including Venus Flyby Opportunities

    Ishimatsu, Takuto / Hoffman, Jeffrey / de Weck, Olivier | AIAA | 2009


    Autonomous aerobraking for low-cost interplanetary missions

    Carrelli, David | Online Contents | 2014


    Autonomous aerobraking for low-cost interplanetary missions

    Carrelli, David / O'Shaughnessy, Daniel / Strikwerda, Thomas et al. | Elsevier | 2012