Vesta (spacecraft)

Soviet space mission

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.
Find sources: "Vesta" spacecraft – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2024)

|

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Vesta" spacecraft – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

(Learn how and when to remove this message)

Vesta

Operator| IKI
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass| ~2,000 kg (4,400 lb) including 500 kg (1,100 lb) penetrator
Power| 350 W
Start of mission
Launch date| 1994 (proposed)
Flyby of Mars
Closest approach| proposed
Flyby of Asteroids
Closest approach| various dates and bodies proposed
Asteroid impactor
Impact date| various dates and bodies proposed

Vesta was a planned multiple-asteroid-flyby mission that the Soviet Union assessed in the 1980s. The Vesta mission would have consisted of two identical probes (just like earlier Soviet Venus missions), to be launched in 1991. Similar to the Vega program, each spacecraft would deploy one or more landers or balloons into the Venusian atmosphere, and then proceed to its next target.

At Venus, a French satellite dedicated to asteroid flybys would be released. It would return for an Earth gravity assist, and then reach about 3–3.3 au from the Sun. There they would fly by some smaller asteroids, and Vesta, if possible, with a small probe landing there.

The exact targets would depend on the launch date. In the initial 1985 study, 2700 possible trajectories were analyzed for a launch date in 1991/1992. Considering all constraints, about 12 candidate trajectories were selected. The two identical spacecraft could have different trajectories and targets. These included 5 Astraea, 53 Kalypso, 187 Lamberta, 453 Tea, 1335 Demoulina and 1858 Lobachevskij, and comet Encke.

## Spacecraft design

[edit]

Around 1985 Vesta was changed to be a Mars mission, with the asteroid mission unchanged. Detailed plans called for each probe to visit four small bodies, including asteroids belonging to different classes - providing a representative sample of the diversity of asteroids - and probably one or two comets as well.

Visiting at least one Apollo-Amor (Earth-nearing) asteroid was also given a preference.[citation needed]

Preliminary studies called for [when?] at least the following scientific instruments to be included:[citation needed]

* a wide angle camera (~6.5° field of view, 512×512 pixel CCD)
* a narrow angle camera (~0.5° field of view, 512×512 pixel CCD - 3.9 arcsec/pixel)
* a near-infrared spectrometer (measuring between 0.5–5 μm with λ/Δλ = 50, 5 arcminutes per pixel)

Possible further instrumentation:[citation needed]

* UV spectrometer (for imaging during a comet flyby)
* radar altimeter/radiometer
* a dust detector
* ion or neutral gas detector

Onboard memory would be about 240 Mb. Images at closest approach (~500 km) could have a resolution of 10 m/pixel. Worst case downlink rate is 600 bit/second (if not using NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN)). The scientific payload is about 100 kg. The spacecraft had 750 kg dry mass, and carried 750 kg propellants, and possibly a 500 kg penetrator. 20 square meters of solar panels provided 350 W of power.[citation needed]

If DSN support could have been obtained, Doppler tracking of the Vesta spacecraft's movement could accurately determine the mass of the encountered bodies. Should it not, another possibility was considered: releasing a test mass, and observing its movement near the target asteroid.

The spacecraft's structure was derived from telecommunication satellites (INMARSAT), having the required mass, volume, and delta-v capabilities (3-axis stabilized, with a pointing platform with 2 axes of freedom for scientific instruments).[citation needed]

## Trajectory

[edit]

The Mars gravity assist constrains the possible trajectories. The asteroid penetrator also imposes limits on the speed of the approach of the target asteroid (less than 4 km/s).

Nevertheless, 3 possible trajectories were designed, with two Mars gravity assists.[1]

A single Mars swing-by is also possible, but the double gravity assist increases the mass budget of the spacecraft by 30%, at the cost of an additional 1.8 year in travel time to the asteroid belt. The following trajectories are for the 1994 launch window. The size and type of each asteroid is also shown here:[citation needed]

Trajectory 1:

launch from Earth
Mars gravity assist
flyby of 2335 James (a 10 km X-type asteroid) (an Amor-asteroid)
Mars gravity assist
109 Felicitas (C-type, 76 km)
739 Mandeville (EMP(?) type, 110 km)
4 Vesta (V-type, or Vestoid. Has a diameter of 570 km) flyby with 3.5 km/s. A penetrator is released.

Total delta-v: 450 m/s

Trajectory 2:

launch from Earth
Mars gravity assist
flyby of the 157P/Tritton short period comet
Mars gravity assist
2087 Kochera(30 km?)
1 Ceres (flyby & releasing a penetrator)

Total delta-v: 1150 m/s

Trajectory 3:

launch from Earth
Mars gravity assist
1204 Renzia (10 km?) (an Amor-asteroid)
Mars gravity assist
435 Ella (U type, 30 km)
46 Hestia (F type, 165 km)
135 Hertha (M type, 80 km)

Total delta-v: 350 m/s

In other studies 11 Parthenope, 19 Fortuna and 20 Massalia were also considered.[citation needed]

## Cancellation

[edit]

A combination of factors, probably including changing Franco-Soviet relations, the partial failure of the Phobos mission, financial troubles and the disbanding of the Soviet Union, prevented the project from advancing beyond the planning phase.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Harvey, Brian (2007). Russian planetary exploration : history, development, legacy, prospects. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 978-0-387-49664-1. OCLC 186566322.

* v
* t
* e

4 Vesta

* Geology

Geography
(features)|

| Craters|

* Claudia
* Rheasilvia
* Tarpeia
* Veneneia
* Vibidia

|

Troughs|

* Divalia Fossae
* Saturnalia Fossae

Regions|

* Feralia Planitia
* Vestalia Terra

Astronomy|

| Discovery|

* Heinrich Olbers
* Carl Friedrich Gauss

|

General|

* Asteroid belt
* Vesta family
* Former dwarf planets

Exploration|

| Past|

* Dawn

|

Cancelled|

* AGORA
* MAOSEP
* Vesta

Related|

* In mythology

* v
* t
* e

Soviet space probes

Earth satellites|

* Kosmos
* Molniya
* Zenit
* Bion
* GLONASS
* Meteor

Space observatories|

* Orion
* Astron
* Granat
* Prognoz
* RELIKT-1

Moon exploration|

* Luna (Lunokhod rovers)
* Zond program

Venus|

* Venera
* Vega

Mars|

* Mars
* Fobos

Design family|

* 1MV
* 2MV
* 3MV
* 2M/M69
* 4MV
* 5VK

* v
* t
* e

Spacecraft missions to Mars

* List of missions to Mars
* List of Mars orbiters
* List of artificial objects on Mars

Active|

| Flybys|

* Psyche‡ (2023, flyby in 2026)

|

Orbiters|

* 2001 Mars Odyssey
* Mars Express
* Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
* timeline
* MAVEN
* ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
* Hope
* Tianwen-1 orbiter

Rovers|

* Curiosity
* Mars Science Laboratory
* timeline
* Perseverance
* Mars 2020
* timeline

Past|

| Flybys|

* Mars 1†
* Mariner 4
* Zond 2†
* Mariner 6 and 7
* Mars 6
* Mars 7
* Rosetta‡
* Dawn‡
* Mars Cube One
* Europa Clipper‡
* Hera‡

|

Orbiters|

* Mars 2
* Mars 3
* Mariner 9
* Mars 4†
* Mars 5
* Viking program
* Viking 1
* Viking 2
* Phobos program
* Phobos 1†
* Phobos 2†
* Mars Observer†
* Mars Global Surveyor
* Nozomi†
* Mars Climate Orbiter†
* Mangalyaan

Landers|

* Mars 2†
* Mars 3†
* Mars 6†
* Mars 7†
* Viking 1
* Viking 2
* Mars Pathfinder
* Mars Polar Lander† / Deep Space 2†
* Beagle 2†
* Phoenix
* ExoMars Schiaparelli†
* InSight
* Tianwen-1 lander

Rovers|

* PrOP-M†
* Sojourner
* Mars Exploration Rover
* Spirit
* timeline
* Opportunity
* timeline
* Zhurong

Aircraft|

* Ingenuity helicopter
* flights
* Mars 2020

| Failed
launches|

* Mars 1M No.1
* 1M No.2
* 2MV-4 No.1
* 2MV-3 No.1
* Mariner 3
* Mars 2M No.521
* 2M No.522
* Mariner 8
* Mars 3MS No.170
* Mars 96
* Fobos-Grunt / Yinghuo-1

|

Future|

| Planned|

* EscaPADE (2025)
* Tera-hertz Explorer (TEREX) (mid 2020s)
* Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) (2026)
* Mangalyaan-2 (2026)
* Tianwen-3 (2028)
* Rosalind Franklin (2028)
* MBR Explorer‡ (2028, flyby in 2031)
* NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return
* Mars Sample Recovery Helicopters
* Kazachok

|

Proposed|

* MAGGIE
* SpaceX Mars program
* Mars-Grunt

| Cancelled
or not developed|

* Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey
* Astrobiology Field Laboratory
* Beagle 3
* Biological Oxidant and Life Detection
* DePhine
* Icebreaker Life
* Marsokhod
* Mars 4NM & 5NM
* Mars 5M (Mars-79)
* Mars-Aster
* Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher (MAX-C)
* Mars Geyser Hopper
* Mars Exploration Ice Mapper
* Mars One
* Mars Micro Orbiter
* Mars Surveyor Lander
* Mars Telecommunications Orbiter
* MELOS rover
* MetNet
* NetLander
* Northern Light
* Next Mars Orbiter
* PADME
* Phootprint
* Sample Collection for Investigation of Mars (SCIM)
* Sky-Sailor
* SpaceX Red Dragon
* Vesta
* Voyager Mars

|

Exploration|

| Concepts|

* Flyby
* Orbiter
* Landing
* Atmospheric entry
* Rover
* Aircraft
* Sample return
* Human mission
* Permanent settlement
* Colonization
* Terraforming

|

Strategies|

* Mars Scout Program
* Mars Exploration Program
* Mars Exploration Joint Initiative
* Mars Next Generation

Advocacy|

* The Mars Project
* The Case for Mars
* Inspiration Mars
* Mars Institute
* Mars Society
* Mars race

Missions are ordered by launch date. Sign † indicates failure en route or before intended mission data returned. ‡ indicates use of the planet as a gravity assist en route to another destination.

* v
* t
* e

Spacecraft missions to Venus

Active missions|

| Flybys|

* Solar Orbiter‡ (en route)
* Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer‡ (en route)

|

Past missions|

| Orbiters|

* Magellan
* Pioneer Venus Orbiter
* Venera 9
* 10
* 15
* 16
* Venus Express
* Akatsuki

|

Flybys|

* Venera 1†
* Mariner 2
* Zond 1†
* Venera 2†
* Mariner 5
* 10‡
* Venera 11
* 12
* 13
* 14
* Vega 1
* 2
* Galileo‡
* Cassini–Huygens‡
* MESSENGER‡
* IKAROS
* Shin-en†
* Parker Solar Probe‡
* BepiColombo‡

Descent probes|

* Venera 3†
* 4
* 5
* 6
* Pioneer Venus Multiprobe

Landers|

* Venera 7
* 8
* 9
* 10
* 11
* 12
* 13
* 14
* Vega 1
* 2
* Pioneer Venus Small Probes

Balloon probes|

* Vega 1
* 2

Failed launches|

* Tyazhely Sputnik
* Mariner 1
* 2MV-1 No.1
* 2MV-1 No.2
* 2MV-2 No.1
* Kosmos 21
* 3MV-1 No.2
* Kosmos 27
* 96
* 167
* 482

Planned missions|

| Orbiters|

* Venus Orbiter Mission (2028)
* VERITAS (2031)
* EnVision (2031)

|

Flybys|

* Dragonfly‡ (2028)
* MBR Explorer‡ (2028)
* Tianwen-4‡ (2030)

Descent probes|

* Venus Life Finder (2026-2027)
* DAVINCI (2031–2032)

Proposed missions|

| Dedicated missions|

* Venera-D

|

Flybys|

* Mercury-P
* Uranus Orbiter and Probe‡

Cancelled
or not developed|

* AREE
* European Venus Explorer
* CUVE
* HAVOC
* HOVER
* Inspiration Mars
* Laplace-P
* TMK-Mavr
* VAMP
* Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar
* Vesta
* VICI
* VISAGE
* VISE
* VOICE
* VOX
* Zephyr

Program overviews|

* Venera
* 3MV
* Mariner
* Pioneer Venus
* Vega

Related|

* Colonization
* Observations and explorations
* List of artificial objects on Venus
* List of missions
* Manned Venus flyby
* Terraforming
* VeSpR

* Missions are ordered by launch date. † indicates failure en route or before any data returned. ‡ indicates use of the planet as a gravity assist en route to another destination.

* v
* t
* e

Spacecraft missions to minor planets and comets

* List of minor planets and comets visited by spacecraft
* List of artificial objects on extraterrestrial surfaces

Active|

* New Horizons (multiple flybys)
* OSIRIS-APEX (orbiter)
* Hayabusa2♯ (lander)
* Lucy (multiple flybys)
* Psyche (orbiter)
* Hera (orbiter)
* AIDA
* Tianwen-2 (multiple flybys and sample return)

Past|

| Flybys|

* Cassini–Huygens
* Chang'e 2
* Clementine†
* CONTOUR†
* Deep Impact
* EPOXI
* Deep Space 1
* Galileo
* Halley Armada
* Giotto
* Sakigake
* Suisei
* Vega 1
* Vega 2
* International Cometary Explorer
* LICIACube
* NEA Scout†
* NEAR Shoemaker
* Pioneer 7
* PROCYON†
* Rosetta
* Stardust
* Ulysses

|

Orbiters|

* Dawn
* NEAR Shoemaker
* Rosetta
* Timeline

Landers|

* Hayabusa
* MINERVA†
* Hayabusa2
* MASCOT
* Rover-1A / HIBOU
* Rover-1B / OWL
* Rover-2†
* NEAR Shoemaker
* Philae

Impactors|

* Deep Impact
* DART
* AIDA

Sample return|

* Hayabusa
* Hayabusa2
* Stardust
* OSIRIS-REx

Planned|

* DESTINY+ (multiple flybys, 2028)
* MBR Explorer (multiple flybys and orbiter, 2028)
* Comet Interceptor (flyby, 2029)

Proposed|

* Shensuo (flybys, 2024)
* ASTER (orbiter, 2025)
* Ramses (2029)
* Interstellar Probe (flyby, 2030–2042)

Cancelled or
not developed|

* AGORA
* AIM
* Asteroid Redirect Mission
* Athena
* CAESAR
* Castalia
* Centaurus
* Chimera
* Clementine 2
* Comet Hopper
* CONDOR
* CORSAIR
* CRAF
* Don Quijote
* HAMMER
* Hayabusa Mk2
* Janus
* MAOSEP
* MANTIS
* Marco Polo
* New Horizons 2
* OKEANOS
* Vesta

Related|

* Asteroid belt
* Asteroid capture
* Asteroid mining
* Colonization of asteroids
* Ceres
* Pluto
* Exploration
* Small Solar System bodies
* Near-Earth object
* Trans-Neptunian object
* Colonization
* Trojan
* Vesta

* Probes are listed in chronological order of launch. † indicates mission failures.

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template