A critical step in the trajectory design and mission analysis was the accurate estimation of the spacecraft’s mass during various stages of its mission. This was important for many reasons including but not limited to: selecting a proper launch vehicle, designing a lunar descent engine, estimating fuel requirements, estimating delta-V capabilities, and developing accurate landing guidance. Below is a breakdown of the spacecraft’s mass during various stages of the mission. Mass is in kilograms.

The masses for the rover, communications systems, and power systems were all dictated by the team engineer working on that area. Masses for avionics, propulsion, and structure were estimated based on a study performed by NASA Ames Research Center on small lunar spacecraft. A 20% mass margin was added to the lander to give design flexibility. Terminal descent fuel (hydrazine) used during the powered gravity turn was calculated using the Terminal Descent Simulation MATLAB code trajsim.m. The fuel weight for the Pulsed Solid Assist Motor (PSAM) is its maximum fuel capacity.