Hybrid Propulsion Transfers for Mars Science Missions

Special Earth-Mars transfers that exploit both chemical and solar electric propulsion are investigated in this work. A dedicated launch strategy via Soyuz is considered. Firstly, a high-thrust, low-Isp impulse is used to place the spacecraft onto an Earth-escape trajectory, possibly performing a lunar swingby. Then, an heliocentric rendezvous with Mars is achieved via low-thrust, high-Isp propulsion, followed by a ballistic capture leading to a final, low-altitude orbit around Mars. Hybrid propulsion transfers outperform chemical transfers (Hohmann) in terms of propellant consumption. Furthermore, a few considerations at system level are also proposed.