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Mission Data Processor Aboard the BepiColombo Mio Spacecraft: Design and Scientific Operation Concept

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Abstract

BepiColombo Mio, also known as the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), is intended to conduct the first detailed study of the magnetic field and environment of the innermost planet, Mercury, alongside the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO). This orbiter has five payload groups; the MaGnetic Field Investigation (MGF), the Mercury Plasma Particle Experiment (MPPE), the Plasma Wave Investigation (PWI), the Mercury Sodium Atmosphere Spectral Imager (MSASI), and the Mercury Dust Monitor (MDM). These payloads operate through the Mission Data Processor (MDP) that acts as an integrated system for Hermean environmental studies by the in situ observation of charged and energetic neutral particles, magnetic and electric fields, plasma waves, dust, and the remote sensing of radio waves and exospheric emissions. The MDP produces three kinds of coordinated data sets: Survey (L) mode for continuous monitoring, Nominal (M) mode for standard analyses of several hours in length (or more), and Burst (H) mode for analysis based on 4–20-min-interval datasets with the highest cadence. To utilize the limited telemetry bandwidth, nominal- and burst-mode data sets are partially downlinked after selections of data based on L- or L/M-mode data, respectively. Burst-mode data can be taken at preset timings, or by onboard automatic triggering. The MDP functions are implemented and tested on the ground as well as cruising spacecraft; they are responsible for conducting full scientific operations aboard spacecraft.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to deeply thank all colleagues of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (K. Kaminogo, M. Kusano, T. Sugimoto, D. Asa, R. Onogi, M. Sasahara, A. Nakajima, M. Koyama, and K. Genba), who designed, developed, and tested this complex MDP system for more than 10 years from the beginning of this project in the early 2000s. The authors would also like to thank all members in the MPPE, MGF, PWI, MSASI, and MDM teams for their huge contributions to the designs, development, and tests of the MDP and all payloads under various operation modes, including the special and emergency cases. The authors wish to express their deep appreciation to M. Noumachi, K. Hirako, N. Ishihama, S. Kuboyama, K. Matsuzaki, and M. Ueno for their valuable contributions and encouragement including the multiple reviews. The Japanese members would like to deeply thank the suppport of eSOL Co. Ltd, HIREC Corp., MHI Aerospace Systems Corp, SHIMAFUJI Electric Inc., and STAR-Dundee. The authors are also grateful to all Mio and BepiColombo project members in the world who are awaiting the successful end of this long travel to the hottest planet and the real start of the discovery campaigns from 2025. The MDP team would like to thank RISH, Kyoto University, for the long support of the Mio MDP test bench with many E-GSEs and payload emulators. Without this contribution, this work would not have been possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Planetary Plasma and Atmospheric Research Center, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan

    Yasumasa Kasaba

  2. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-5210, Japan

    Takeshi Takashima, Shoya Matsuda, Sadatoshi Eguchi, Ayako Matsuoka, Kazushi Asamura, Yoshifumi Saito, Go Murakami & Hajime Hayakawa

  3. Nagoya Guidance and Propulsion Systems Works, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, 1200 Higashitanaka, Komaki, Aichi, 485-8561, Japan

    Manabu Endo, Takeshi Miyabara, Masahiro Taeda & Yoshikatsu Kuroda

  4. Advanced Research Center for Space Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan

    Yoshiya Kasahara, Tomohiko Imachi & Satoshi Yagitani

  5. Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan

    Hirotsugu Kojima

  6. LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, 5, Place Jules Janssen, 92195, Meudon, France

    Michel Moncuquet

  7. Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 537, SE-751 21, Uppsala, Sweden

    Jan-Erik Wahlund

  8. Department of Geophysics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan

    Atsushi Kumamoto

  9. Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Schmiedlstraße 6, 8042, Graz, Austria

    Wolfgang Baumjohann

  10. Department of Earth and Space Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan

    Shoichiro Yokota

  11. CNRS-Universite d’Orleans-CNES, Orleans, 45071, France

    Dominique Delcourt

  12. Institute of Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan

    Masafumi Hirahara

  13. Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 812, 981 28, Kiruna, Sweden

    Stas Barabash

  14. Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, UPS, CNES, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse Cedex 4, France

    Nicolas Andre

  15. Planetary Exploration Research Center, Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1, Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba, 275-0016, Japan

    Masanori Kobayashi

  16. Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan

    Ichiro Yoshikawa

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  1. Yasumasa Kasaba
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Correspondence to Yasumasa Kasaba.

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The BepiColombo mission to Mercury

Edited by Johannes Benkhoff, Go Murakami and Ayako Matsuoka

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Kasaba, Y., Takashima, T., Matsuda, S. et al. Mission Data Processor Aboard the BepiColombo Mio Spacecraft: Design and Scientific Operation Concept. Space Sci Rev 216, 34 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00658-x

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