OCEANUS

OCEANUS (Origins and Composition of the Exoplanet Analog Uranus System) is a mission concept conceived in 2016 and presented in 2017 as a potential future contestant as a New Frontiers program mission to the planet Uranus. The concept was developed by the Astronautical engineering students of Purdue University during the 2017 NASA/JPL Planetary Science Summer School. OCEANUS is an orbiter, which would enable a detailed study of the structure of the planet's magnetosphere and interior structure that would not be possible with a flyby mission. Because of the required technology development and planetary orbital dynamics, the concept suggests a launch in August 2030 on an Atlas V 511 rocket and entering Uranus' orbit in 2041. Overview Ice giant sized planets are the most common type of planet according to Kepler data. The little data available on Uranus, an ice giant planet, come from ground-based observations and the single flyby of the Voyager 2 spacecraft, so its exact composition and structure are essentially unknown, as are its internal heat flux, and the causes of its unique magnetic fields and extreme axial tilt or obliquity, making it a compelling target for exploration according to the Planetary Science Decadal Survey. The primary science objectives of OCEANUS are to study Uranus' interior structure, magnetosphere, and the Uranian atmosphere.