Design of a low cost mission to the Neptunian system

Visited only by Voyager 2 in 1989, Neptune and its moon Triton hold important clues to the formation and evolution of the solar system and exoplanetary systems. Neptune-sized planets are the most commonly discovered exoplanets to date. Neptune, an ice giant, is theorized to have migrated from its formation location in the early solar system. This migration affects the expected interior structure, composition, and dynamical evolution of the planet. Triton is conjectured to be a heavily-processed, captured Kuiper Belt Object (KBO), a remnant from the early solar nebula and unique in our solar system. Triton may possess a subsurface aqueous ocean, making it an important astrobiological target. The 2013–2022 Planetary Science Decadal Survey [1] identified a number of high priority science goals for the Neptunian system, including understanding the structure, composition, and dynamics of Neptune's atmosphere and magnetosphere, as well as surveying the surface of Triton. Following these guidelines, we present a low cost flyby mission concept to Neptune and Triton: TRIDENT (Taking Remote and In-situ Data to Explore Neptune and Triton). TRIDENT would carry six instruments and a government furnished atmospheric probe and would provide significant improvements over the scientific measurements undertaken by Voyager 2.