Re: Mission to Jovian moons baselined, Mission to Saturnian moon
Hi matthewota.
That is all too true. I had read about the shortage of RTG fuel before a while back, well quite a while back & that New Horizons was likely to be the last for a while to use it. If ARGO / New Horizons 2 (not the original New Horizons 2 mission which was to have rendezvoused with Jupiter, Uranus & a binary KBO) is approved (Saturn, Neptune / Triton & KBO encounters) will have to use an RTG, there is no getting around that.
My guess is that the next Saturn system dedicated mission what ever that turns out to be, most likely the TSSM (Titan Saturn System Mission) will have to use RTG power. LILT may be workable but IMO arrays will still be huge, massive & combersome to work at Saturn.
The upcoming JUNO mission will use something similar to the ESA researched LILT (Low Intensity Low Light) panels, & certainly the Europa & Ganymede orbiters can use them. The proposed Io Volcano Observer could also use LILT though the high radiation there may degrade them, but then JUNO is using them, so perhaps not.
IIRC LILT panels may be usable eventually as far from the Sun as Uranus, but I think that is some time away yet as electronics become more efficient, smaller & use less power, its taking time, but it's coming.
Interesting indeed.
Andrew Brown.