[P-PS04] Mars and martian moons

[PPS04-P09] International Mars Ice Mapper: Overview and Current Status

*Tomohiro Usui¹, Eleonora Ammannito ², Marilena Amoroso², David M. H. Baker³, Richard Davis⁴, Timothy Haltigin⁵, Michael S Kelley⁴, Raffaele Mugnuolo², Patrick Plourde⁵, Michelle A Viotti⁶ (1.Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 2.Agenzia Spatiale Italiana, 3.NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 4.NASA Headquarters, 5.Canadian Space Agency, 6.Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology)

Keywords:Mars, ground ice, human exploration, synthetic aperture radar

The International Mars Ice Mapper Mission (I-MIM) is a mission concept being developed by the partner agencies: the Agenzia Spatiale Italiana (ASI), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The mission’s primary goal is to characterize accessible, near-surface (within the uppermost 10 m) water-ice and the geotechnical properties of its overburden in the mid- to low-latitudes of Mars for the reconnaissance of future human exploration. The mission has been organized around three requirements-driving Reconnaissance Objectives (RO): i) RO-1: Location and Extent of Water Ice, ii) RO-2: Accessibility of Water Ice, and iii) RO-3: Candidate Human Landing Site Assessment. The partner agencies have also outlined Supplemental Science Objectives (SSO) and Mission Support Objectives (MSO) to augment the mission’s potential return on investment.

The partner agencies established a joint I-MIM mission concept team under a Statement of Intent signed in February 2021. The agencies have jointly advanced the technical and scientific preparations for a mission to be flown no earlier than 2028. CSA would provide the primary payload, a polarimetric L-band (930 MHz) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) that would operate in side-looking imaging and nadir sounding SAR modes. NASA would serve as the systems architect and mission lead and would, in partnership with commercial partner(s), provide launch capabilities and a high-altitude communications system at Mars. ASI would provide a reflector antenna to support the satellite communications system. JAXA would lead the development of a plan for the satellite bus and the accommodation of sub-payloads that may include a demo lander.

The partner agencies recruited an international Measurement Definition Team (MDT). The MDT comprises expertise in planetary science and human exploration to (Task-1) define the core measurements and payload required to achieve the ROs,(Task-2) suggest augmentations in the form of science investigations and hardware, and (Task-3) develop a model concept of operations based on the findings of Tasks 1 and 2. The final MDT report will be public in spring 2022.