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Mission design & operations planning for in-space neutrino detection experiments
Messick, Kyle
Messick, Kyle
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d25020_Messick.pdf
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2025-12
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Dissertation
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Electronic dissertation
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This dissertation presents three mission design studies for spacecraft carrying an
experimental neutrino detector. The focus of the primary mission involves reaching a final heliocentric orbit with a close approach to the Sun that allows the detector to observe transitions from coherent to de-coherent states for neutrinos at different energy levels. A fast algorithmic framework for targeting repeat same-body gravity assists was developed that generates mission trajectories for a large range of Earth departure velocities that have not been investigated previously. A neutrino count metric was also developed to analyze the performance of a theoretical detector flown on these trajectories. Before the primary mission is fully realizable, the experimental detector must be proven flight ready. This is the purpose of the second mission design study, which includes a technology demonstration mission in Low-Earth Orbit for a small-scale neutrino detector integrated into a 3U CubeSat. Through a new methodology of dual objective pointing in a fixed quaternion attitude, the use of only magnetic actuator control is verified through numerical simulations with considerations to mission operations planning included. The third and final mission study is a follow-on CubeSat mission to orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point. In this orbit, the detector would avoid all eclipsing and be able to take data at all times in orbit, which would not be possible for the Earth orbiter. New methods for finding invariant manifolds for nearly stable orbits are presented. By manipulation of these manifolds along with application of the concept of system blending, new transfer trajectories departing to the L1 orbit from cislunar space with low fuel cost are highlighted. The combined results of the mission design studies intend to verify and validate inspace trajectories that enable the operation of the experimental detector to analyze unique neutrino interactions that cannot be measured on Earth.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)-- Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering
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Wichita State University
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© Copyright 2025 by Kyle Messick
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