AeroDrop: Study of Direct Atmospheric Entry for Secondary Payloads on Aerocapture Missions

Entry, descent, and landing (EDL) systems are a key component of the technologies required to support NASA’s mission to “enable human expansion across the solar system.” Aeroassist technologies, specifically aerocapture and direct atmospheric entry, offer a promising advancement in the current state of the art for EDL at planetary-sized bodies with an atmosphere. Aerocapture is the use of a body’s atmosphere to slow down a spacecraft and convert the hyperbolic arrival trajectory to a desired elliptical orbit around the body. Direct atmospheric entry also uses the body’s atmosphere to slow down, then continues to monotonically descend through the atmosphere until final landing. Aerocapture Drop-Off is an original and innovative concept which I will investigate that combines aerocapture of a primary payload with direct atmospheric entry for a secondary lander. This concept could offer more flexible, lower-cost access to the surface of Mars, Titan, or Venus. The concept has a variety of potential applications, including Mars Sample Return and taking advantage of smallsat innovations to distribute small landers on the Martian surface with any given orbiter. The concept could also be applied to human spaceflight missions. I propose a two-part investigation of this idea. The first phase focuses on feasibility assessment and conceptual design, relying on tools like CBAERO and GMAT for conceptual design and simulation. The second phase involves a more in-depth study of the flight mechanics involved, which will make use of Monte Carlo simulations for uncertainty analysis and hardware-in-the-loop testing of control algorithms.

This concept could offer more flexible, lower-cost access to the surface of Mars, Titan, or Venus. The concept has a variety of potential applications, including Mars Sample Return and taking advantage of smallsat innovations to distribute small landers on the Martian surface with any given orbiter. The concept could also be applied to human spaceflight missions.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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