Aerocapture demonstration mission

An interplanetary probe must decelerate from a hyperbolic interplanetory trajectory to an orbital trajectory when it arrives at its destination. Currently, this maneuvre is achieved using chemical propulsion, which means that propellant makes up a significant fraction of the vehicle mass. Aerocapture is an alternative concept that instead uses aerodynamic drag from the athmosphere of the planet to decelerate the arriving spacecraft.So far, no mission has used aerocapture, mainly due to a lack of heritage. In this ESA pre-phase A stud, concepts were developed for a Mars aerocapture demonstration mission which would place a scientific payload in a 70deg. inclination, 1000km circular orbit using single-event drag modulation aerocapture. Such a mission would increase the aerocapture TRL and heritage, enabling its consideration for future missions.