DESTINY+
DESTINY (Demonstration and Experiment of Space Technology for INterplanetary voYage with Phaethon fLyby and dUst Science) is a planned mission to flyby the Geminids meteor shower parent body 3200 Phaethon, as well as various minor bodies originating from the "rock comet". The spacecraft is being developed by the Japanese space agency JAXA, and will demonstrate advanced technologies for future deep space exploration. As of 2020, DESTINY is planned to be launched in 2024. Overview. DESTINY will be launched from Uchinoura Space Center by an Epsilon S launch vehicle into low Earth orbit, and will spend 1.5 years raising its  orbit with ion engines. A lunar flyby (at ~) will accelerate the probe into an interplanetary orbit. During this cruise time it will fly by a few near Earth objects for study, including the transition body 3200 Phaethon in 2028, as well as measure interplanetary and interstellar dust. The probe's ion engines have the capability to perform another orbit transfer to study additional objects. Objectives. DESTINY will be a technology demonstrator to further improve operations of low cost solar electric propulsion in deep space. It will also demonstrate innovative light-weight solar array panel technology. The scientific aspect of  this mission is to understand origin and nature of dusts, which are key sources of organic compounds to Earth. It will also observe dusts from comet/asteroid 3200 Phaethon using a dust analyzer and will map its surface using a multiband telescopic camera to understand the mechanisms of dust ejection. The spacecraft will flyby as close as from 3200 Phaethon. Spacecraft. DESTINY will use ultra light-weight solar panels and heat-actuated folding radiators, along with compact avionics. The spacecraft is designed to tolerate a radiation dose up to approximately 30 krad by using a 3 mm aluminum shield. Propulsion . The spacecraft will be propelled by four μ10 solar electric ion engines, as used by Hayabusa and Hayabusa2, but while its predecessors operated only up to three engines simultaneously, DESTINY will use all four simultaneously for a total thrust of 40 mN (specific impulse: 3000 seconds; acceleration: 83 μm/s; power: 1670 watts.) The total dry mass (excludes xenon propellant) of the ion engine system is . Payload. DESTINY PLUS will cary three scientific instruments: