Our current knowledge about the abundance and the accessibility of water on the Moon is too limited to assess its economic potential or to rely on its availability for future manned exploration missions. We present LUVMI-X, a compact yet versatile rover that is equipped with complementary instrumentation to gather new data about the abundance of water at the lunar poles.

By making use of an innovative, low mass, mobile robotic payload following the Lunar Exploration Advisory Group (LEAG) recommendations, many of the international science community’s objectives can be met at lower cost. As a main objective LUVMI was designed specifically for operations at the South Pole of the Moon with a payload accommodated by an innovative lightweight rover with a range of several kilometres. Over the past two years, the key LUVMI scientific instruments – a Volatiles Analyser (VA) and a Volatiles Sampler (VS), were successfully developed and validated (up to TRL 5-6), and new light field cameras were experimented. They were integrated onto a ground prototype of a purposely developed LUVMI rover and tested altogether in a series of outdoor trials, in rocky and sandy environments. Based on these successful results, the recently started LUVMI-X project shall extend the LUVMI rover’s capabilities to enable more comprehensive scientific investigations. Its suite of science instruments will be upgraded and extended, and a flexible and innovative payload infrastructure will create the foundation for commercial payload services.

Pitcher, C.; Sheridan, S.; Barber, S.; Urbina, D.; Gancet, J.; Kullack, K.; Ceglia, E.; Madakashira, H.; Salinia, J.; Govindaraj, S.; Surdo, L.; Aked, R.; Biswas, J.; Reiss, P.; Richter, L.; Dobrea, D.; Reganaz, M.; Murray, Neil; Rushton, J. and Evagora, A. (2018). Volatile Extraction and Detection from Frozen Lunar Regolith Simulants in Preparation for the LUVMI Rover. In: 6th European Lunar Symposium, 14-16 May 2018, Toulouse, France.

The ISECG identifies one of the first exploration steps as in situ investigations of the moon or asteroids. Europe is developing payload concepts for drilling and sample analysis, a contribution to a 250kg rover as well as for sample return. To achieve these missions, ESA depends on international partnerships. Such missions will be seldom, expensive and the drill/sample site selected will be based on observations from orbit not calibrated with ground truth data. Many of the international science community’s objectives can be met at lower cost, or the chances of mission success improved and the quality of the science increased by making use of an innovative, low mass, mobile robotic payload following the LEAG recommendations. LUVMI provides a smart, low mass, innovative, modular mobile payload comprising surface and subsurface sensing with an in-situ sampling technology capable of depth-resolved extraction of volatiles, combined with a volatile analyser (mass spectrometer) capable of identifying the chemical composition of the most important volatiles. This will allow LUVMI to: traverse the lunar surface prospecting for volatiles; sample subsurface up to a depth of 10 cm (with a goal of 20 cm); extract water and other loosely bound volatiles; identify the chemical species extracted; access and sample permanently shadowed regions (PSR). The main innovation of LUVMI is to develop an in situ sampling technology capable of depth-resolved extraction of volatiles, and then to package within this tool, the analyser itself, so as to maximise transfer efficiency and minimise sample handling and its attendant mass requirements and risk of sample alteration. By building on national, EC and ESA funded research and developments, this project will develop to TRL6 instruments that together form a smart modular mobile payload that could be flight ready in 2020. The LUVMI sampling instrument will be tested in a highly representative environment including thermal, vacuum and regolith simulant and the integrated payload demonstrated in a representative environment.

LUVMI is an innovative, low mass, mobile robotic payload designed specifically for operations at the South Pole of the Moon with a range of several kilometres. Over the 2 past years of the project, the key LUVMI scientific instruments (volatiles analyser and volatiles sampler) were successfully developed and validated up to TRL 5-6. In addition, a ground prototype of the LUVMI rover was developed and tested in a series of outdoor trials, in rocky and sandy environments. This rover, with a target dry mass of ~40kg for a flight version, features an adjustable height chassis to adapt to terrain roughness and allowing to bring instruments very closely and precisely to the surface. The locomotion capability of the LUVMI rover was tested in partially representative conditions, as part of the project. This paper reports on the project’s results and lessons learnt, and gives indications of how LUVMI may be further matured to target potential mission slots in the mid-2020s, as part of ESA mission and/or supported by private funding.