Advanced communications, navigation and technology concepts for a Mars 2018 orbiter

Recently, JPL mission designers have been investigating prospects for a Mars 2018 mission. The possibility of such a mission is being examined, at the request of NASA HQ, in the wake of NASA´s departure from ESA´s ExoMars missions, as well as to support general Mars program replanning. The idea is to create a mission concept, with a 2018 launch, that would be relevant to: eventual Mars sample return for NASA´s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and the Planetary Decadal Survey; human exploration for NASA´s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD); and technology development for NASA´s Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT). The conceptual mission studies described in this paper consider only a Mars orbiter. However, it should be noted that possibilities for a stationary lander or rover have not been ruled out. High bandwidth communications and advanced navigation would be likely elements of an orbiter mission. If a 2018 Mars orbiter were approved, it could spur the implementation of enhanced Deep Space Network (DSN) capabilities that could in turn benefit many future missions.