LUVMI: a Concept of Low Footprint Lunar Volatiles Mobile Instrumentation

The International Space Exploration Coordination Group (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. As a main objective LUVMI is designed specifically for operations at the South Pole of the Moon with a payload accommodated by a novel lightweight mobile platform (rover) with a range of several kilometers. Over the 2 years duration of the project, the scientific instruments payload will be developed and validated up to TRL 6. LUVMI targets being ready for flight in 2020 on an ESA mission partially supported by private funding. 1. CONTEXT AND MOTIVATION Future long-term lunar exploration efforts will rely heavily on in-situ resource utilization to produce mission consumables, fuel or even structures on the lunar surface and, thus reduce transportation cost. One of the most interesting resources available at the Moon are loosely bound (physisorbed) volatiles found in or around cold traps near the lunar poles. Recent years have seen several remote observation missions that have searched for evidence of lunar water. Clementine [6] and Chandrayaan-1 [5] have performed radio-wave reflection measurements, with results consistent with the presence of water. Other orbital measurements, including the LOLA laser altimeter of LRO [4] and measurements of epithermal neutron emissions [3] have yielded inconclusive results that suggest water may be present but does not necessarily coincide with Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs). So far the only direct observation of lunar water was performed during the LCROSS experiment, when the ejecta plume of an impactor in the Cabeus Crater of the lunar south pole was observed and a water content of 5.6 +/2.9 wt% was detected [1]. The next logical step in lunar volatiles exploration is the in-situ investigation around or even inside a PSR, which will provide a definite answer to the question of the existence of lunar water and provide ground truth data for the calibration of orbital measurements. 1.1. ISECG Objectives LUVMI addresses top priorities established [1] by the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) Volatiles Specific Action Team (VSAT). These are: 1. Determining the variability of volatile distribution 2. Identification of the chemical phase of volatile