Preliminary design analysis of a hopper vehicle for Mars mission

Abstract

A hopper vehicle is proposed in this article as an alternative mobility concept for explorations of the Martian surface; filling the propellant tank with CO2 after each hop enables the hopper to visit several regions of the planet. The methods used for acquiring high-pressure CO2 on the Mars surface are analysed, and the basic scheme of the hopper vehicle for Mars missions is demonstrated. The effect of mission parameters, such as the number of hops, on the preliminary design of the hopper vehicle for Mars missions is evaluated through analysis. Furthermore, a parametric analysis is also conducted to evaluate the effects of technological advances on the design of the hopper vehicle for Mars missions, and the results of the analysis indicate that specific impulse, daily yield of CO2 in kg per kg acquisition unit, etc. are the factors affecting the hopper vehicle for Mars mission design.