Mission analysis and systems design of a near-term and far-term pole-sitter mission

► An end-to-end pole-sitter mission is presented for continuous Earth polar observation. ► A near-term, SEP and a far-term, hybrid solar sail/SEP mission are considered. ► Optimal pole-sitter orbits and transfers from LEO are designed for a Soyuz/Ariane launch. ► A mass budget analysis trades off mission lifetime and payload mass. ► Transfers between north and south pole-sitters are designed to overcome polar winters.