LUVMI-Extended

ended

the ISECG has 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. This proposal addresses all 3 of these SKGs, by leveraging on the previous EU project LUVMI. LUVMI – the Lunar Volatiles Mobile Instrumentation – is a small, innovative, lightweight and cost-effective mobile payload for investigating the resource potential of lunar volatiles. It was developed under [EU grant ref] as an independent payload adaptable to a wide range of such upcoming missions. Now we propose to enhance LUVMI to ‘LUVMI++’, addressing the 3 SKGs as follows: (1) Generate a deeper understanding of lunar resource potential by developing new instruments and new techniques to detect volatiles in new locations remote from the rover (2) incorporate new instruments and techniques to study the lunar environment and its effects on human health (dust, radiation) (3) address sustainable presence at the lunar surface by making key measurements associated with in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) and by developing an architecture that makes the lunar surface accessible to key enabling technologies such as new instruments and new power generation techniques