Assessing Payload Accomodation Feasibility for an ESA Technology Demonstration Rover

ASSESSING PAYLOAD ACCOMMODATION FEASIBILITY FOR ESA TECHNOLGY DEMONSTRATION ROVER. G. Paar1, A. Merlo2, S. Aziz3 and P. Caballo-Perucha1 1Joanneum Research, Institute for Information Technologies, Graz, Austria ([email protected]), 2Thales Alenia Space Italy, Domain Exploration and Science, Turin, Italy ([email protected]), 3European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands ([email protected]) Introduction: ESA recently launched Phase 1 of a “Lunar Prospecting and Scouting Rover” (LPSR). If approved for flight, LPSR would establish and demonstrate the ability to deploy and operate a rover on the Lunar surface by 2030. It is a key step to enable future scientific, robotic and human exploration scenarios currently envisioned by ESA. LPSR shall demonstrate key mobility, communications, operations, and payload related technologies to be reused and expanded in future follow-on missions involving large class rovers. LPSR Phase 1 is implemented by three independent consortia, one of them coordinated by the second Author. Payload Scope for the LPSR Phase 1 Activity: One LPSR Phase 1 objective is the identification of possible high-maturity scientific and technology demonstration payloads, and to assess the feasibility of accomodation of these payloads on this technology demonstration mission based on compatibility with the mission constraints, and payload resource and interface requirements. Candidates mentioned in the LPSR Phase 1 SoW [1] – without exclusion of other solutions – are: (i) Terra mechanics & wheel/soil interaction characterization, (ii) Lunar night survival technologies, (iii) advanced autonomy and navigation HW & SW, (iv) resource prospecting (v) Lunar communication and Moonlight utilization. ESA’s scientific priorities [2] have been identified as: - Local resources: determining the presence, abundance, distribution, and potential functional and structural utility of surface and near-surface resources (water, minerals, materials) on the Moon and Mars. This also entails eventual resource extraction and utilisation - Environments & Effects: Determining environmental characteristics and dynamic processes in space, exospheres, atmospheres, and surfaces. Investigating effects on exploration systems and monitoring environmental impacts of human activity - Crew Health & Performance: Investigating physiological adaptations, addressing behavioural and radiation-related health risks, and developing countermeasures and medical capabilities for longduration missions - Habitation: Creating sustainable environments where humans can live and work effectively in space and on other planetary surfaces, maximise crew comfort, and provide life support and food. Enabled Science: Fundamental (curiosity-driven) or applied research that takes advantage of ESA’s exploration infrastructure and data, but is led by the broader scientific community that sets priorities for this stream of science. It is characterised by its scientific excellence and spans broadly from fundamental physics over biology to planetary science. Engineering-related topics may also be considered in the context of the Phase 1 activity. For example: - New GNC methods: e.g. validation elements to existing technology, aid calibration of remote sensing assets or research HMI, VR or AI technology in automation / autonomy / teleoperation - Knowledge / decision base for later sample return - Exploiting “low hanging fruit” of engineering instruments, e.g., the re-use of GNC cameras for science and other applications (with implications on, e.g., stereo baseline and spectral channels, efficacy & rationales of direct illumination), and the exploitation of “serendipitous” engineering data such as wheel motor friction / voltage & sinkage, temperature or radio transmission rate and medium distance stratigraphy (e.g. long-baseline and/or AIsupported stereo for shape modelling) - AI-based (big) data association & interpretation means for further science interpretation opportunities - Shaping of analogue requirements (for V&V on Earth). Identifying High Maturity Payloads to Inform Rover Maturation In LPSR Phase 1: LPSR Phase 1 aims at preparing a rapid development schedule for the LPSR rover. For that reason it is important to establish a robust technical baseline for payload interfaces and requirements that will enable a timely ESA decision on rover design definition and subsequent implementation. Therefore, the following steps are being implemented by the TAS-I led consortium in support of their engineering activities: (1) Issue a Request for Information launched by the TAS-I-led Industry Consortium – note that this does not preempt an ESA-managed payload selection for the final mission; (2) Active scanning of existing mature solutions based on reviews of literature and community documents from Europe and beyond; (3) Assessment of payload technical maturity and compatibility with the LPSR mission, and the establishment of findings for ESA, to support a later ESA selection process. The RFI Assessment Approach: Payload parameters and capabilities of interest for the LPSR Phase 1 technical activities include: - Alignment with addressing goals and challenges within ESA priority areas, assessed in consultation with ESA - TRL 6 or higher / development needs & heritage - Background and experience of the payload team, in consultation with ESA - Resource & I/F needs on the rover (thermal & survival, power consumption, mass, space incl. during operations, location, actuators & pointing e.g. robotic arm or PTU, egress requirements / benefits / constraints / duration, on-board data budget & handling requirements, storage [1], …) - Survival borders (e.g. # of day/night cycles) - Sensitivity to Lunar environment conditions, e.g. dust & mitigation strategy (see effect of the lost fender on the Apollo 17 LRV [3]) - Risks and further constraining & dependency factors (e.g. launch risks, radiation, deployment pyros, …) are expressed / justified / mitigated. Besides these aspects for addressing the feasibility and effect on overall rover design, many other parameters are valid to inspire & justify possible rover adaptation efforts and to drive the impact, such as: (a) Scientific benefits (b) Landing site/s needs; related rover concept & constraints compliance (c) Further engineering constraints, e.g., vision & lighting aspects (shadows; poor regolith contrast), (d) Complement by/to engineering instruments, (e) Usage / exploitation of / synergy with engineering assets & data, e.g., locomotion friction on regolith & rocks, dust dispersion & accumulation, (f) Effect on other payload elements (e.g. in case of active radiation or illumination, thermal impact, vibrations & chassis-transmitted noise), (g) Dependence on other payload / sensors (e.g. a thermal inertia may require a stationary rover for some time, or a shape model & exact determination of pointing in case of motion between two TIR measurements), (h) Effect on Lunar environment & planetary protection issues, if any (e.g. destructive measurements such as abrasion), (i) Measurement time/s-of-day, Sun incidence angle constraints, duration & autonomy (i.e. Human operators required / length of measurement cycle, …) – including requirements to operations’ (incl. ground) concept, (j) (As whole suite) Compliance to LPSR-MIS-0025 [1] for S&T technology demonstration payloads, (k) Expected calibration effort & targets, stability, maintenance after landing, (l) Archiving and meta data aspects / concept & nature & production of higher-order products, (m) New / creative / feasible concepts for raising the European Lunar science capabilities (n) Consideration of cooperation / complement / synchronization / redundancy aspects. Roadmap: TAS-I’s LPSR Phase 1 activity was kicked-off in late March. By end of June, the Request for Information is aimed to have been released. Acknowledgement: This work was funded by Joanneum Research, Thales Alenia Space Italy & ESA. References: [1] ESA (2024) “LPSR – Phase 1 SoW”, ESA-TECMMA-SOW-2024-002622. [2] ESA-HRE (2025) Explore 2040 – the European Exploration Strategy, https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/HRE/Explore_2040.pdf [3] https://www.nasa.gov/history/alsj/a17/A17NewFender.html.