 Artist's impression of the Enceladus Orbilander | |
| Mission type | Enceladus Orbiter and Lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Website | https://space.jhuapl.edu/projects-and-studies/enceladus-orbilander |
| Mission duration |
|
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | APL (proposed) |
| Launch mass | 6610 kg [1]: 18 |
| Dry mass | 2690 kg |
| Power | 741 W (at launch) 589 W (landing) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | October 2038 (proposed) [1]: 33 |
| Rocket | Space Launch System Block 2 (proposed) |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, Pad 39B |
| Contractor | NASA |
| Flyby of Jupiter | |
| Closest approach | October 2040 (proposed) |
| Distance | 4,730,000 km (2,940,000 mi) |
| Saturn orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | August 2045 (proposed) |
| Orbital departure | early 2050 (proposed) |
| Enceladus orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | early 2050 (proposed) |
| Orbital departure | mid 2051 (proposed) |
| Enceladus lander | |
| Landing date | mid 2051 (proposed) |
Large Strategic Science Missions Planetary Science Division | |
The Enceladus Orbilander is a proposed NASA Flagship mission to Saturn's moon Enceladus. The Enceladus Orbilander would spend a year and a half orbiting Enceladus and sampling its water plumes, which stretch into space, before landing on the surface for a two-year mission to study materials for evidence of life.[1] The mission, with an estimated cost of $4.9 billion, could launch in the late 2030s on a Space Launch System or Falcon Heavy with a landing in the early 2050s. It was proposed in the 2023–2032 Planetary Science Decadal Survey as the second highest priority Flagship mission, after the Uranus Orbiter and Probe.[2][3]
- ^ a b c d MacKenzie, Shannon M.; Kirby, Karen W.; Greenauer, Peter J.; Neveu, Marc; Gold, Rob; Davila, Alfonso; Lunine, Jonathan I.; Cable, Morgan; Craft, Kate; Eigenbrode, Jennifer; Glein, Christopher; Hofgartner, Jason; Mckay, Christopher; Phillips-Lander, Charity; Waite, Hunter; Burton, Dana; Seifert, Helmut; Boye, Jeff; Brock, Spencer; Chen, Michelle; Coker, Rob; Colonel, Grace; Criss, Tom; Crowley, Doug (14 October 2020). "Enceladus Orbilander: A Flagship Mission Concept for Astrobiology". NASA Technical Reports Server. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/26522/interactive/
- ^ Foust, Jeff (19 April 2022). "Planetary science decadal endorses Mars sample return, outer planets missions". SpaceNews. Retrieved 19 April 2022.