Select a target chain
The mission chooses bodies with compatible orbital energy, science value and safe navigation geometry rather than attempting arbitrary targets.
STARSHOT AEROSPACEContact 
MAIN ASTEROID BELT / MULTI-TARGET EXPLORATION
R.A.E.L.
A solar-electric spacecraft family designed to rendezvous with multiple main-belt bodies, conduct long proximity campaigns and make controlled surface contacts where the target permits.
Random Asteroid Explorer and Lander
One spacecraft family. A thirty-year view of the asteroid belt.
R.A.E.L. is conceived as a five-mission series rather than one overloaded spacecraft. Each generation would inherit the previous mission's avionics, navigation and payload interfaces, while increasing power, autonomy, target access and surface capability. If demand exceeds one flight's capacity, qualified bookings can move into the next mission in the series.
Preliminary programme architectureCURRENT BASELINE
Mission at a glance.
- Destination
- Main asteroid belt
- Programme
- Up to 5 missions over approximately 30 years
- Primary power
- Large solar arrays and rechargeable batteries
- Propulsion
- Solar-electric xenon ion propulsion
- Operations
- Rendezvous, proximity flight and selected surface contact
- Growth path
- Orbiter-lander separation in later generations
- Science theme
- Solar-system formation and small-body diversity
- Status
- Preliminary programme architecture
MISSION PROFILE
From departure to science operations.
Every value remains subject to trajectory analysis, subsystem sizing and independent review.
Spiral outward
Large solar arrays power low-thrust ion propulsion. Acceleration is small, but continuous operation builds substantial velocity change over time.
Characterise first
Optical navigation, lidar and imaging determine the target's rotation, gravity field, shape, debris environment and safe operating zones.
Rendezvous carefully
R.A.E.L. enters a bound orbit where practical, or maintains a controlled relative trajectory around bodies whose gravity is too weak or irregular for a simple orbit.
Contact selectively
A slow descent can place the spacecraft on a suitable body. Broad feet, compliant legs and an anchoring concept are required to prevent rebound.
Depart and repeat
Ion propulsion raises the trajectory away from the target and begins the next transfer, carrying a consistent instrument and data architecture to another body.
SPACECRAFT ARCHITECTURE
The systems that make the mission credible.
Architecture is presented as a working engineering baseline, not flight-qualified hardware.
Solar electric power
Arrays are sized for reduced main-belt sunlight, with batteries supporting communications, eclipse and surface operations.
Ion propulsion
Multiple throttleable xenon engines provide efficient transfer, rendezvous and departure capability over a long mission.
Autonomous navigation
Optical landmark tracking and lidar support operations around bodies with uncertain shape, mass and rotation.
Surface contact
Low-velocity descent, compliant landing gear and anchoring are required; the vehicle cannot rely on weight alone in microgravity.
Science
Multispectral imaging, infrared mineralogy, gamma-ray and neutron sensing, dust analysis, magnetometry and radio science.
Series architecture
Later vehicles can add a detachable lander so the orbiter continues science and communications after surface deployment.
SCIENTIFIC PARTNERSHIP MODEL
Partners reserve capability. Starshot retains and operates the spacecraft.
Revenue is tied to real engineering work and delivered mission capacity: payload accommodation, integration, operations, communications and data. A mission proceeds only after anchor funding and booked capacity pass a defined commitment threshold.
Instrument bookings
Mission-specific payload allocations sold through restricted bidding with fixed mass, power, data and pointing limits.
Target packages
Partners can fund an approved observation campaign at a particular asteroid without owning the spacecraft.
Surface packages
Higher-priced contact or lander opportunities cover additional navigation, qualification and risk.
Programme continuity
A five-flight roadmap converts oversubscribed demand into a managed backlog and spreads platform development across generations.
ReservationPaid capacity hold after competitive selection
IntegrationStaged fees through interface review, qualification and delivery
Flight serviceLaunch, operations, downlink and data-delivery contract
ExtensionRenewable operations or relay service after the prime mission
Profitability is not assumed from gross bookings. Each mission must recover allocated development, launch, integration, operations, insurance, contingency and capital costs before an operating margin is claimed.
ENGINEERING PRECEDENT
Built from demonstrated ideas, extended carefully.
THE STANDARD
R.A.E.L. treats the asteroid belt as a programme, not a single destination: learn, standardise, return and improve.
All performance figures on this page are preliminary design targets. They will change as trajectory, mass, power, thermal, communications and reliability models mature.
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