10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
[PPS06-06] Current Developing Status of JAXA's mission instruments for Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) Project
Keywords:Lunar Polar Region, Lunar Water, LUPEX
In recent years, analysis of various observation data from lunar exploration by Japan, the United States, India, and other countries has indicated the existence of ice (or frost) that may have been supplied from outside in the low-temperature regions (polar regions) at high latitudes of the Moon where there is no direct solar radiation. However, no direct and conclusive information is available on whether water exists in the polar regions of the Moon, its quantity and form (hydrogen, hydroxyl groups, water molecules, etc., or adsorbed water, structural water, etc.), vertical and horizontal distribution (whether there are concentrated layers on the polar surface or in the subsurface, and their spatial extent). Therefore, consensus among researchers has not yet been reached.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is planning a Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) Project with the primary objective of obtaining data to assess whether water exists in the polar regions of the Moon, and if so, its potential as a future exploration resource. LUPEX spacecraft consists of a rover and a lander. JAXA is mainly responsible for developing and operating the rover, and ISRO for developing and operating the lander. The rover and the lander will be integrated at the launch site and launched by the H-3 rocket at the JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Total mass (wet) of the spacecraft is about 6 ton. Mass of the rover is about 350 kg including all mission instruments. Nominal mission duration is from launch to 3.5 months from landing on the Moon. After that, if the rover is in good health, the mission will be extended to one year after landing as an extra mission. The mission instruments are currently being selected: JAXA's Resource Exploration Water Analyzer (REIWA) and Advanced Lunar Imaging Spectrometer (ALIS), ISRO's Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Mid-Infrared Spectrometer (MIR), NASA's Neutron Spectrometer (NS) and ESA's Exospheric Mass Spectrometer for LUPEX (EMS-L). REIWA consists of four sub-systems; Lunar Thermogravimetric Analyzer (LTGA), Triple-Reflection Reflectron (TRITON), Aquatic Detector using Optical Resonance (ADORE), and ISRO’s Sample Analysis Package (ISAP). Regolith samples will be collected to a depth of 1.5 m for direct groundwater measurements.
REIWA passed the preliminary design review (PDR) in December 2022 and ALIS in January 2023 and are in detailed design. In this presentation, the latest status of JAXA's observation instruments will be reported.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is planning a Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) Project with the primary objective of obtaining data to assess whether water exists in the polar regions of the Moon, and if so, its potential as a future exploration resource. LUPEX spacecraft consists of a rover and a lander. JAXA is mainly responsible for developing and operating the rover, and ISRO for developing and operating the lander. The rover and the lander will be integrated at the launch site and launched by the H-3 rocket at the JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Total mass (wet) of the spacecraft is about 6 ton. Mass of the rover is about 350 kg including all mission instruments. Nominal mission duration is from launch to 3.5 months from landing on the Moon. After that, if the rover is in good health, the mission will be extended to one year after landing as an extra mission. The mission instruments are currently being selected: JAXA's Resource Exploration Water Analyzer (REIWA) and Advanced Lunar Imaging Spectrometer (ALIS), ISRO's Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Mid-Infrared Spectrometer (MIR), NASA's Neutron Spectrometer (NS) and ESA's Exospheric Mass Spectrometer for LUPEX (EMS-L). REIWA consists of four sub-systems; Lunar Thermogravimetric Analyzer (LTGA), Triple-Reflection Reflectron (TRITON), Aquatic Detector using Optical Resonance (ADORE), and ISRO’s Sample Analysis Package (ISAP). Regolith samples will be collected to a depth of 1.5 m for direct groundwater measurements.
REIWA passed the preliminary design review (PDR) in December 2022 and ALIS in January 2023 and are in detailed design. In this presentation, the latest status of JAXA's observation instruments will be reported.