Hydrolysed polar terrain ice aerobot mission platform

HYPATIA is a proposed mission that would demonstrate the use of planetary balloon and water electrolysis technology on the Martian northern polar cap. The combination of both technologies allows a small science payload to be landed repeatedly and carried across the polar terrain. HYPATIA consists of a small gondola under a metallised Mylar balloon filled with hydrogen from the polar ice. This paper details the mission objectives and the science requirements. It describes the overall mission design and the science payload of the balloon vehicle.