Auto-Cannibalistic Spacecraft for Deployment of Distributed Instruments

This poster presents a novel mission architecture that builds upon the Nèamh concept (IPPW 2023) [1], employing In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) to realise an auto-cannibalistic spacecraft—a system capable of progressively repurposing its own structural and functional subsystems, including actuators, sensors, power systems, and communications hardware, across successive mission phases. Through staged reconfiguration, the spacecraft transitions from solar sail propulsion to aerobraking, probe deployment, and orbital data relay, with each function fabricated in situ from disassembled mass. The architecture involves the release of compact, distributed probes—assembled using recycled components, including thermal protection materials—capable of adaptive surface operations informed by in-situ feedback. This design achieves high mass efficiency, reduces launch complexity, and supports mission resilience through iterative manufacturing. The feasibility of the probe concept is grounded in prior work on Mars-entry femtoprobes [2], while the scientific utility of distributed networks is supported by recent analysis of multi-point planetary sensing architectures [3]. Together, these elements support a sustainable, modular framework for deep space exploration.