Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LUVMI-X (LUVMI-Extended)
Reporting period: 2020-02-01 to 2021-10-31
Recent years have seen a growing interest in lunar exploration, with most international space agencies planning to return humans to the surface of the Moon, and to establish a long-term presence. International efforts include the upcoming Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOP-G, formerly known as Deep Space Gateway DSG), a crew-tended cis-lunar station allowing teleoperations of surface assets from Lunar orbit. The LOP-G will be preceded by robotic missions from the Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Russian lunar programs, accompanied by an ongoing build-up of European expertise in technology and Lunar science. Most of these missions will revolutionize lunar science and exploration by targeting new, challenging locations such as the lunar far side or the lunar polar environment, and are key to prepare for future human settlements.
The preceding Lunar Volatiles Mobile Instrumentation project (LUVMI, EU grant #727220) has prototyped a smart, low mass, innovative, modular mobile payload comprising surface and sub-surface sensing. It includes an in-situ sampling technology capable of depth-resolved extraction of volatiles, and has packaged within this tool the analyser itself, so that to maximise transfer efficiency and minimise sample handling and its attendant mass requirements and risk of sample alteration.
The ISECG Global Exploration Roadmap from 2nd February 2018 states that future activities must be affordable and incorporate innovative approaches, meet exploration objectives as well as providing public benefits, be able to evolve and incorporate standard interfaces and support the preparation of human presence on the moon.
The ISECG has specifically identified several strategic knowledge gaps (SKGs) that need to be addressed before sending human expeditions to the lunar surface: (1) Understand the lunar resource potential, (2) understand the lunar environment and its effects on human life, and (3) understand how to work and live on the lunar surface sustainably.
Four Specific Objectives are identified in LUVMI-X:
Specific Objective 1: Understand the resource potential of the moon (ISECG SKG 1).
Specific Objective 2: Study of the lunar environment (ISECG SKG 2)
Specific Objective 3: Address sustainable presence at the lunar surface (ISECG SKG 3)
Specific Objective 4: Develop generic payload families for scientific & industrial instruments
The preceding Lunar Volatiles Mobile Instrumentation project (LUVMI, EU grant #727220) has prototyped a smart, low mass, innovative, modular mobile payload comprising surface and sub-surface sensing. It includes an in-situ sampling technology capable of depth-resolved extraction of volatiles, and has packaged within this tool the analyser itself, so that to maximise transfer efficiency and minimise sample handling and its attendant mass requirements and risk of sample alteration.
The ISECG Global Exploration Roadmap from 2nd February 2018 states that future activities must be affordable and incorporate innovative approaches, meet exploration objectives as well as providing public benefits, be able to evolve and incorporate standard interfaces and support the preparation of human presence on the moon.
The ISECG has specifically identified several strategic knowledge gaps (SKGs) that need to be addressed before sending human expeditions to the lunar surface: (1) Understand the lunar resource potential, (2) understand the lunar environment and its effects on human life, and (3) understand how to work and live on the lunar surface sustainably.
Four Specific Objectives are identified in LUVMI-X:
Specific Objective 1: Understand the resource potential of the moon (ISECG SKG 1).
Specific Objective 2: Study of the lunar environment (ISECG SKG 2)
Specific Objective 3: Address sustainable presence at the lunar surface (ISECG SKG 3)
Specific Objective 4: Develop generic payload families for scientific & industrial instruments
The last period included some of the most critical development activities of the projects, namely detailed design finalization and MAIT of the different LUVMI-X elements.
All the project’s objectives were addressed over the period.
Over the spring, the detailed design of the LUVMI-X instruments and rover was consolidated, translating in detailed design deliverables release, for each core WP activity.
Several of the instruments got their MAIT efforts initiated earlier, and had parts already manufactured / procured in the course of the spring. The most significant effort however was carried out over the late spring and summer period, aiming at obtaining manufactured hardware and software (where relevant) components in early September.
Although expected to be completed by mid-September, the assembly and integration of the rover was completed only in late October.
LUVMI-X scientific instruments – VAVS++, VCAS, LIBS, LCNS and Imagers (SurfCam++, NavCam+ HazCam++, 360Cam) were developed and tested in lab conditions, and mock versions of these instruments (or actual ones when possible– e.g. imagers) were integrated onboard the rover platform in the last 2 weeks of October.
The outdoor analogue field campaign was eventually performed at the Quenast quarry, in Belgium. The rover, equipped with LUVMI-X mock instruments, was operated in a sandy analogue location, with a focus on mobility as well as testing deployable payloads capabilities.
Covid measures kept impacting the work organization until summer period – no physical consortium meetings was made possible. Still, several colocations however took place at SpaceApps in the course of September/October, to allow for integration of partners’ payloads.
In conclusion the results obtained over the course of the project are substantial and hopefully impactful – several LUVMI-X scientific instruments have a chance to find their way to actual lunar missions, and the rover platform concept will serve in different business prospects (lunar destination and terrestrial), as well as being promoted as candidate platform in EL3.
All the project’s objectives were addressed over the period.
Over the spring, the detailed design of the LUVMI-X instruments and rover was consolidated, translating in detailed design deliverables release, for each core WP activity.
Several of the instruments got their MAIT efforts initiated earlier, and had parts already manufactured / procured in the course of the spring. The most significant effort however was carried out over the late spring and summer period, aiming at obtaining manufactured hardware and software (where relevant) components in early September.
Although expected to be completed by mid-September, the assembly and integration of the rover was completed only in late October.
LUVMI-X scientific instruments – VAVS++, VCAS, LIBS, LCNS and Imagers (SurfCam++, NavCam+ HazCam++, 360Cam) were developed and tested in lab conditions, and mock versions of these instruments (or actual ones when possible– e.g. imagers) were integrated onboard the rover platform in the last 2 weeks of October.
The outdoor analogue field campaign was eventually performed at the Quenast quarry, in Belgium. The rover, equipped with LUVMI-X mock instruments, was operated in a sandy analogue location, with a focus on mobility as well as testing deployable payloads capabilities.
Covid measures kept impacting the work organization until summer period – no physical consortium meetings was made possible. Still, several colocations however took place at SpaceApps in the course of September/October, to allow for integration of partners’ payloads.
In conclusion the results obtained over the course of the project are substantial and hopefully impactful – several LUVMI-X scientific instruments have a chance to find their way to actual lunar missions, and the rover platform concept will serve in different business prospects (lunar destination and terrestrial), as well as being promoted as candidate platform in EL3.
Leveraging the outcomes of the previous LUVMI project, LUVMI-Extended (LUVMI-X), in addition to mapping the lunar surface and subsurface for volatiles, contributed in:
• Generating a deeper understanding of lunar resource potential by developing new instruments and new techniques to detect volatiles in new locations not accessible by the mobile instrumentation.
• Incorporating new instruments and techniques to study the lunar environment and its effects on human health (dust, radiation).
• Addressing sustainable presence on the lunar surface by making key measurements associated with in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU).
• Developing an architecture that makes the lunar surface accessible to key enabling technologies such as new instruments and new power generation techniques.
Testing and validation campaign of a ground demonstrator were carried out in the last months of the project, with lab and outdoor analogue experiments.
Most scientific instruments and payloads were matured to TRL 5-6, while the ground demonstrator of the rover platform reached TRL4.
Opportunities to further mature LUVMI-X payloads and rover platform, aiming at actual lunar missions, were reviewed during the project's execution and keep being analyzed after completion.
• Generating a deeper understanding of lunar resource potential by developing new instruments and new techniques to detect volatiles in new locations not accessible by the mobile instrumentation.
• Incorporating new instruments and techniques to study the lunar environment and its effects on human health (dust, radiation).
• Addressing sustainable presence on the lunar surface by making key measurements associated with in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU).
• Developing an architecture that makes the lunar surface accessible to key enabling technologies such as new instruments and new power generation techniques.
Testing and validation campaign of a ground demonstrator were carried out in the last months of the project, with lab and outdoor analogue experiments.
Most scientific instruments and payloads were matured to TRL 5-6, while the ground demonstrator of the rover platform reached TRL4.
Opportunities to further mature LUVMI-X payloads and rover platform, aiming at actual lunar missions, were reviewed during the project's execution and keep being analyzed after completion.