Explore the captivating details of the Arcanum mission, a groundbreaking endeavor to study both the enigmatic planet Neptune and its intriguing moon Triton. Discover how advanced technologies and innovative mission design could shed new light on these distant worlds.
The Arcanum Mission: Comprehensively
A team from ConEx Research recently joined forces with University College London to initiate the first-ever Arcanum mission, the discovery phase of which promises new insights into Neptune and it moons.
This bold mission is composed of three parts: an orbiter that will collect data on Neptune, a propulsion system for orbital insertion around Triton and a lander that will survey the moon.
Named Somerville, the orbiter will be outfitted with cameras, spectrometers and a high-powered telescope, making it the principal scientific platform. This flexible telescope, in addition to studying the Neptunian system will also track objects from the far Kuiper Belt which sits on other edge of our solar limits.
Tenzing: An orbital maneuverer that will be instrumental to the precise targeting of Triton for a safe and soft landing. This will also act as a relay station for communication between the lander and orbiter. The three ‘penetrators’ have specific goals: they will try to break through the icy surface of Triton, allowing Tenzing to examine the moon’s interior and look for any chance it could have a subsurface ocean.
Bingham Lander: Opening Secrets to Triton →
The Bingham lander is the centerpiece of the Arcanum mission and a direct-to-surface exploratory robot, ultimately directed at the surficial exploration of Triton. Bingham will carry numerous instruments, including three cameras to capture Triton from different angles, a seismometer to study ground movements, a thermometer and the LIFFT mass spectrometer that Eaton developed.
Though the lander will perhaps not investigate many of the moon’s more tantalizing features, such as an undersea ocean, its data will still hugely expand what we can say about this mysterious world. Triton’s mysterious volcanic activity and the prospect of an internal ocean have intrigued planetary scientists for decades, leading to a proposal, called Arcanum, that would explore these enigmatic phenomena in detail.
The scope of the Arcanum mission is made possible by advancements in launch capabilities — specifically Starship. Starship’s unmatched payload volume will allow for big with difficult launches, such as carrying Bingham to the outer Solar System or sending Tenzing and Somerville on its way through a LEO op maneuver: missions which would be difficult if not impossible under previous cost paradigms.
Conclusion
The Arcanum campaign is an important milestone in our investigation of the Neptune system. This proposed mission could, if successful, change everything we currently know about Vepr and perhaps Triton as well: ostensibly a single spacecraft that would incorporate the roles of an orbiter, orbital maneuverer and landing craft. The Arcanum mission will be well equipped to unveil these faraway worlds, and with such advanced technologies along with the efficient launch capability of the Starship system, it would almost certainly pave the way for interplanetary exploration in a fast manner.
