Single-Launch Mars Sample Return Mission Architecture: Trajectory and Mass Analysis

A conceptual mission architecture document for a single-launch Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, authored by Wang Xing and last updated on 2026-05-21. The 17.2 KB file details a consolidated vehicle design using hybrid chemical-electric propulsion and autonomous quadruped retrieval, with analyses for the 2029 and 2031 launch windows. It includes trajectory simulations, mass estimations, and robotic energy models to assess feasibility.

Use Cases

• Simulating low-thrust electric propulsion trajectories based on the described Edelbaum approximation and numerical propagation methods.
• Estimating mass budgets for planetary missions using the referenced AIAA S-120A-compliant subsystem-level analysis.
• Modeling energy consumption and operational range for legged robots on Mars based on the physics-based model cross-validated with terrestrial Spot platform data.
• Analyzing entry, descent, and landing (EDL) performance using the described three-degrees-of-freedom Monte Carlo simulation results.

Strengths

• Includes specific numerical results, such as a total mission ΔV of 9.14 km/s and a predicted Mars escape in approximately 270 days.
• Provides detailed methodology references, including patch-conic trajectory analysis, pork chop plots, and a Monte Carlo EDL simulation with 10,000 cases.
• Presents a concrete mass estimate of approximately 18,200 kg, enabling direct comparison with launch vehicle capacities.

Limitations

• The dataset is a 17.2 KB DOCX file, suggesting it is a document or supplementary material rather than a structured data product.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for quantitative analysis.

Provenance

Source

figshare, author Wang Xing

Collection Method

Conceptual design and simulation study, likely involving trajectory modeling and system engineering analysis.

Time Range

Analysis based on primary 2029 and backup 2031 launch windows.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-21 04:37:14; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Interplanetary trajectories between Earth and Mars, with surface operations on Mars.