Mapping the plasmasphere around Earth may provide important insight for protecting both humans and electronics from radiation damage during long space journeys. It will also demonstrate low-thrust trajectory control techniques, such as multiple lunar flybys, within the Earth-Moon Lagrangian points. The mission will demonstrate that departing from EML can transfer to various orbits, such as Earth orbits, Moon orbits, and interplanetary orbits, with a tiny amount of orbital control. EQUULEUS features 2 deployable solar panels, and lithium batteries. The mission will be monitored from the Japanese deep space antenna with support from the DSN of JPL. The Principal investigator is Professor Hashimoto at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The mission is named after the 'little horse' constellation Equuleus.
The propulsion system, called AQUARIUS, employs 8 water thrusters also used for attitude control and momentum management. The spacecraft will carry 1.5 kg of water, and the complete propulsion system will occupy about 2.5 units out of the 6 units total spacecraft volume. The waste heat from the communication components is reused to assist in the heating of water vapor, which is heated to at the pre-heater. The AQUARIUS' water thrusters produce a total of 4.0 mN, a specific impulse of 70 s, and consumes about 20 W power. Before its flight on EQUULEUS, AQUARIUS will be first tested on the 2019 AQT-D CubeSat.
Scientific payload
PHOENIX
EQUULEUS scientific payload features a small UV telescope named PHOENIX that will operate in the high-energy extreme ultraviolet wavelengths. It consists of an entrance mirror of 60 mm diamemeter, and a photon counting device. The reflectivity of the mirror is optimized for the emission line of helium ion, which is the relevant component of the Earth's plasmasphere. The plasmasphere is where various phenomena are caused by the electromagnetic disturbances by the solar wind. By flying far from the Earth, the PHOENIX telescope will provide a global image of the Earth's plasmasphere and contribute to its spatial and temporal evolution.
DELPHINUS
DELPHINUS, or DLP, for short is a camera connected to the PHOENIX telescope to observe lunar impact flashes and near-Earth asteroids, as well as potential 'mini-moons' while positioned at the Earth-Moon Lagrangian point L2halo orbit. Theoretically, NEOs approaching Earth can be briefly caught within Earth's gravity well, and although in terms of orbital mechanics the object's movements is still centered around the sun, to an observer on Earth it will move as if it is a moon of the planet. One example of such an object is 2006 RH120, which orbited Earth between 2006 and 2007. If a mini-moon or NEO that can be rendezvoused by EQUULEUS is identified, the CubeSat will attempt a flyby. This payload occupies about 0.5 units out of the total 6 units volume. The results will contribute to the risk evaluation for future infrastructure or human activity on the lunar surface.
CLOTH
The instrument named CLOTH will detect and evaluate the meteoroid impactflux in the cislunar space by using dust detectors mounted on the exterior of the spacecraft. The goal of this instrument is to determine the size and spatial distribution of dust solid objects in the cislunar space. CLOTH utilizes the spacecraft's multi-layer insulation as a detector, thus realizing a dust counter suitable for mass-constrained CubeSats. It will be the first instrument to measure the dust environment of the Earth–Moon L2Lagrangian point, and aims to uncover the dust's origin, as well as conducting risk assessment of the point dust particles in anticipation of a future manned mission. CLOTH will decipher point dust from sporadic dust by differences in their impact velocity.