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| | | | | | | Phobos-Grunt
The Russian mission Phobos-Grunt has been given high priority among the list of national planetary programmes to be carried out within the next decade.
This mission’s objectives are to collect soil samples from Phobos, a satellite of Mars and to bring the samples back to Earth for comprehensive scientific research into Phobos, Mars and Martian space. Studies would include:
- both in situ and remote studies of Phobos, including laboratory analysis of the soil samples
- monitoring the planet Mars, including the holistic dynamic behaviour of the atmosphere and dust storms
- studies of Martian surroundings, including plasma and dust components, and the radiation environment
The space mission component development is led by the company NPO Lavochkin. Phobos soil sampling and downloading have been assigned to the GEOHI RAN Institute of the Russian Academy of Science (Vernadski Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical chemistry) and the integrated scientific studies of Phobos and Mars by remote and contact methods are being developed by the IKI RAN Institute (Space Research Institute).
Development work commenced in 2001 and the preliminary design of the interplanetary station will be completed in 2004. The project will then be reviewed by the science and technology board at Rosaviakosmos, now called the Federal Space Agency.
To date, as many as 25 experiments have been proposed by scientific teams from IKI, GEOHI, IRE (Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics), FIAN (Lebedev Physical Institute) and RNII KP (Russian Science and Research Institute of Space Device Engineering). The experiments to be included in the payload will be selected on a competitive basis.
At present two concepts of the interplanetary station, with and without electric jet propulsion, are being reviewed. Once the final version is chosen, the payload mass, mission time and trajectory will be defined. The launch vehicle selected for Phobos-Grunt will probably be a Soyuz LV with a Fregat upper stage.
Phobus-Grunt is scheduled for launch in 2009.
Last update: 25 October 2004 | |
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