Falcon Heavy is capable of performing deep space missions
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Peer-reviewed literature and reference materials establish that the Falcon Heavy is capable of supporting deep space missions, including trajectory options for Uranus and delivering payloads to the Saturn system.
Nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) combines the high specific impulse of electric thrusters with a constant power source that can operate anywhere in the solar system. Current investments in fission surface power offer a starting point for development of an NEP capability for deep space science missions, with a mission to the Saturn system illustrating the potential of such a system. Minimum time of flight transits, maximum payload delivery, and a sample return from Enceladus are considered. The NEP system can deliver payloads to the Saturn system with similar transit times to the Cassini spacecraft without requiring the planetary flyby maneuvers, and when coupled with a heavy-lift launch vehicle an NEP-powered spacecraft can complete a Saturn transit significantly faster than Cassini. High payload masses can be delivered on a longer trajectory at the expense of transit time. An NEP system launched on a Falcon Heavy-Expendable is found to deliver a maximum payload mass to Enceladus of over 1000 kg when the NEP system is sized to operate at a propulsion power level of 10 kWe. For an NEP system launched by a Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle, a propulsion power level of 20 kWe yields the maximum delivered mass of over 8000 kg. Replacing a portion of the payload with propellant allows for a high degree of maneuverability upon reaching the Saturn system. A 25 – 40 kWe system provides the shortest interplanetary transit time, under 6.5 years launching with a Falcon Heavy-Expendable or under four years using SLS. The optimal power for shortest transit time falls within this range, varying as a function of payload mass and launch vehicle. A conceptual assessment of an Enceladus sample return mission indicates that such a mission may be feasible, where the NEP system is used for the Saturn departure and Earth insertion maneuvers, but it does require the electric propulsion system impart a high ΔV of approximately 30 km/s and that the spacecraft operate for a mission duration of 23 years.
Falcon Heavy is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle with partial reusability that can carry cargo into Earth orbit and beyond. It is designed, manufactured and launched by American aerospace company SpaceX.
The rocket consists of a center core on which two Falcon 9 boosters are attached, and a second stage on top of the center core. Falcon Heavy has the second highest payload capacity of any current
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Ballistic and chemical trajectory options to Uranus are investigated for launch dates spanning 50 years. Trajectory solutions are found using STOUR, a patched conic propagator with an analytical ephemeris model. STOUR is heritage software developed by JPL and Purdue, written in FORTRAN. A total of 89 distinct gravity-assist paths to Uranus are considered, most of which will allow for a deep space maneuver (DSM) at some point along the path. For each launch year, the most desirable trajectory is identified and cataloged based on time of flight (up to 15 years), total $\Delta$V cost (DSM and capture maneuver), arrival $V_\infty$, and delivered payload. The Falcon Heavy (Recoverable), Vulcan VC6, Falcon Heavy (Expendable) and SLS Block 1B are considered to provide a range of low- to high-performance launch vehicle capabilities. A rough approximation of Starship's performance capabilities is also computed and applied to select years of launch dates. A flagship mission that delivers both a probe and an orbiter at Uranus is considered, which is approximated as a trajectory capable of delivering 2000 kg. Jupiter is unavailable as a gravity-assist body until the end of the 2020s but alternative gravity-assist paths exist, providing feasible trajectories even in years when Jupiter is not available. A rare Saturn-Uranus alignment in the late 2020's is identified which provides some such trajectory opportunities. A probe-and-orbiter mission to Uranus is feasible for a Vulcan VC6 with ap
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