Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration
The Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration (MAGPIE) project develops a comprehensive mission for prospecting lunar water ice for ESA in a multinational consortium, lead by ispace Europe. TUM contributes the Lunar Volatiles Scout (LVS) instrument, which is being developed in cooperation with the Open University, UK, and OHB.
The LVS strongly builts on the heritage from previous project, especially the iDrill Study funded by ESA and the LVS-PIE study funded by DLR. In 2023, ESA included the LVS in the Reserve Pool of Science Activities for the Moon being rated outstanding.
Lunar Volatiles Scout
The Lunar Volatiles Scout (LVS) is an instrumented drill for the in situ characterization of planetary soil samples and volatiles. The cavity drill can be used to drill to a depth of approx. 10 cm in icy regolith. This is then heated to 400 °C using a built-in heating element to dissolve volatile substances such as water. A built-in miniaturized ion trap mass spectrometer (ITMS) and built-in pressure sensors enable live analysis of the dissolved gases. By minimizing interference with the sample, the risk of loss of volatile substances during the otherwise necessary sampling is avoided. This allows the sample to be characterized in its original state, which is a significant advantage over conventional instruments for the analysis of soil samples.
The main field of application of the LVS is the prospection of volatile lunar resources such as water. Its low weight and volume allow it to be used on mobile rovers to cover large areas on the lunar surface. The LVS can also be used on stationary platforms and is also used on other atmosphereless celestial bodies.
Funding
- ESA (2020-2021), (2024-today)
- European Commission Horizon 2020 (2016-2022)
- German Aerospace Center DLR (2012-2016, 2019-2021)
Publications
Tatusch, T. et al. (2021) iDRILL – An Instrumented Drill for Lunar Volatile Prospecting, 19th European Space Mechanisms and Tribology Symposium (ESMATS)
Biswas, J. et al. (2020) Searching for potential ice-rich mining sites on the Moon with the Lunar Volatiles Scout, Planetary and Space Science, doi: 10.1016/j.pss.2019.104826
Gscheidle, C. et al. (2022) Challenges of operating a drilling instrument on a small rover at the lunar poles - LVS-PIE phase A study results, Planetary and Space Science, doi: 10.1016/j.pss.2022.105426