Payload Selection Scheme for a Fast‐Response Planetary Defense Scouting Mission: The Satis CubeSat Study

The continued detection of near‐Earth asteroids with postulated close encounters with Earth is a clear motivation for planetary defense–driven mission designs. Fast reconnaissance in an imminent threat scenario (i.e., less than a few years upon impact) is crucial to gain information about an asteroid potentially impacting the Earth in the near future and necessitates the development of efficient and effective reconnaissance missions. In response, we present a novel rating scheme to objectively select instrument combinations for fast reconnaissance missions, particularly for CubeSat platforms with limited resources and tight development schedules. Our scheme combines a science‐driven approach with a technical assessment, allowing for the evaluation of instrument combinations against a predefined science matrix. The rating scheme provides a normalized ranking of instrument combinations, enabling the identification of the most suitable payload for a given mission. We demonstrate the applicability of our scheme using the Satis mission study (Phase A), a fast reconnaissance mission aimed at characterizing the asteroid Apophis at its closest approach with Earth on April 13, 2029. The presented scheme objectively ranks instrument combinations for given science objectives based on their technical capabilities and reduces human bias in selecting specific instruments. This can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of future reconnaissance missions with tight schedule and limited available accommodation space, ultimately contributing to enhanced planetary defense capabilities.