An Evolved International Lunar Decade Global Exploration Roadmap

Home , Luna 25, Luna 27, Luna 28, National Space Society

Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (2015) 2016.pdf

An Evolved International Lunar Decade Global Exploration Roadmap. David Dunlop. Author1 and Kim Hold- er. Author2, 1 National Space Society, 410 Ashland Ave, Green Bay Wisconsin, [email protected], 2 National Space Society (Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico, Kim [email protected]).

Introduction: Since 2007 an International 1 The 2013 GER edition did not reflect the Chinese Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) of 14 government lunar mission series beginning with the of the largest national space agencies has met to look at 2013 Chang’e III successful landing, and reflecting the potential of collaborative planning and coordina- Chang’e IV (now scheduled for 2020 targeting the tion of their national space exploration activities. lunar farside, Change’e V (sample return now sched- While these meetings have generally been closed door uled for 2017) with a Change’6 Mission indicated as a back-up to the sample return mission. (3) events a 2013 edition Global Exploration Roadmap 2 The GER did not reflect any of the Google Lunar X- (GER) was produced (signed off) by 12 of the 14 coun- Prize Missions. Several teams such as Astrobotic and tries reflecting their projected space program activities Moon-X and Team Space IL have received significant in the categories: Low Earth Orbit, Lunar Vicinity, financial support, have developed flight hardware, and Moon, Mars, Asteroids, and Transportation.(1) This while slipping behind the earlier 2015 deadline are GER is a formidable measure of collaborative efforts planning missions to the Moon perhaps succeeding in and spirits and a reflection of significant global coop- 2016 or when more affordable reusable launchers be- eration. Yet just two years later it does not present the come commercially operational. (This does not pre- picture of where we stand today and what we are likely clude other GLXP teams from consideration in the to see develop. An Evolved International Lunar future if they gather additional support even after the Decade Global Exploration Roadmap has been pro- GLXP competition conclude) 3 The GER also does not reflect the exploration ob- duced to address some of many omissions(2): jectives of the LEAG Roadmap in a coherent fashion on the Moon Section. A The establishment of an In- ternational Lunar network of 8 to 10 surface station has GER 2013 Omissions: been an objective unrealized since the financial col-

ILD Evolved Global Exploration Roadmap International Lunar Decade Legend 2020 2030 Crew Mission Planned Missions Prospective Missions Earth Orbit Robotic Mission International Space Station Commercial Private Ventures Platforms Launcher or PPPs Bi g el ow Oﬀ-World Consortium (OWC) Private Ventures Commercial Fuel Depot Upper Stage with partial funding Space Station Small Missions Planetary Resources NASA Laser SCaN Russia / China Space Station Arkyd 3 Landers Chinese Missions Near Earth Asteroids Surface Vehicles Asteroid Redirection Cargo OSIRIS-REx Rosetta (Sample Return) Surface Installation Explore Near-Earth Asteroid Hayabusa 2 Apophis Cubesat (Sample Return) Probe SLS Exploration SLS Exploration Moon Vicinity Mission 1 Mission 2 L2 Extended Duration Crew Missions Gateway Station

Lunar Swirls Lunar Flashlight SkyFire Evolvable Lunar IceCube NASA Laser SCaN Deep Space Hab NEA Scout Potential BioSentinel Commercial NASA Cube Quest SEM from Opportunities Astrobotic II OWC Commercial Fuel Depot

Moon Bi g el ow Potential with NASA, ESA, Golden Spike JAXA, KARI, ISRO (?) Lunar Mission Commercial etc. as tenants Astrobotic II One OWC & Moon-X Opportunities OWC Commercial Astrobotic I Space IL Lunar Surface Fuel Depot Penn State Fuel Production Moon-X I Moon-X II Lunar Lions

NASA Laser SCaN Human Assisted Cargo Chandrayaan 2 SELENE 2 RESOLVE SELENE 3 Vehicle Sample Return Delivery Delivery Humans to Lunar Surface Russia / China Base

Luna 26 Luna 28, Luna 29 Chang'e 5 Chang'e 4 Chang'e 6 Luna 25 Luna 27 Mars ExoMars ExoMars 2016 2018 Sustainable Human MAVEN Mars Sample Return Mission Opportunities Missions to the Mars 2020 JAXA Mars Human EDL Test Mission Precursor Mars System ISRO Mars InSight Opportunities Orbiter Mission

Transport Systems

Crew Heavy Propulsion Space Hab (Upgrade)

Orion and SLS System Evolvable Deep Falcon Super (Upgrade) Advanced Electric Falcon Heavy Sierra Nevada Orion and SLS Dream Chaser Ariane 6 Falcon 9 Reusable Orion and SLS Small Cargo Lander Russian Piloted ISRO GSLV Mark III Initial Cargo Delivery Human Surface Mobility ISRO GSLV Mark III Long March 5, 6, 7 Boeing CST-100 Crewed Lunar Lander Dragon Crew Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (2015) 2016.pdf

lapse of 2008. B The GER does not reflect the estab- doubt new proposals will emerge and omissions in this lishment of a lunar farside radio telescope initiative. new version will create a requirement for an Evolving C The GER does not reflect the development of a se- Global Exploration Roadmap update at least annually. ries of sortie missions which would cover exploration and assay of frozen volatiles deposits identified by re- An International Lunar Decade campaign reflects a mote sensing instruments on LRO, LCROSS, and convergence of efforts in both the entrepreneurial Chandrayaan I in both the Northern and Southern polar communities and national space agencies. An integrat- regions. D The GER does not reflect the development ed approach to lunar scientific exploration and devel- of a series of sortie missions which could provide a opment must also reflects the vigor and acceleration in global range lunar samples. An absolute lunar and prospective activities and planning. The Evolved ILD solar solar system chronology, is a major Science GER produced by the NSS Moonwards Chapter at- Theme goals for such sampling sorties. (4) (This ar- tempts a broader scope than the earlier official ISECG gues for a planning commitment for a series of such 2013 GER. The dual commitments to an EM-L2 sortie missions tied to LEAG roadmaps objectives and Gateway station and a lunar base(s) will require a ro- reflected in an evolved GER) 4 The GER roadmap bust and redundant supply chains. It also presents a does not reflect commercial lunar activities which are new technology infrastructure and prospective com- planned for post GLXP mission by Astrobotic, Moon- mercial developments leading to the economic settle- X, other participants in the NASA Lunar catalyst pro- ment and development of the Moon which are ex- gram. Other Companies such as Bigelow, and Shackle- pressed in the chapter Logo imagining a developed ton Energy have also indicated planning for lunar sur- Moon whose settlements shine at night like the Earth’s. face missions. These missions overlap the scientific interest in frozen volatiles by determining whether “operationally useful” deposits of ice exist and can be commercially mined for rocket propellant at a price point below that provided by an Earth sourced supply chain. These would reflect the Feed Forward and Sus- tainability Themes of the LEAG roadmap. The potential for funding synergies between public science and commercial missions (which represents opportunities to further drive down publicly funded science costs via the commercial on ramp mentioned in the LEAG roadmap) has not been captured by the GER. These opportunities have been pointed out in the Evolvable Lunar Architecture Report by NexGen LLC CEO Charles Miller (5) 5 Another omission in the Like the campaign to further explore and development GER is that there is no indication of the Lunar CubeSat the Moon this Evolved ILD GER is a work in progress revolution taking place. At the time of the release of that over time will increase it fidelity and hopefully a that document Lunar Cube satellites were considered growing range of international participation. Refer- by some fringe possibilities with marginal potential for ences: (1) www.nasa.gov/exploration/about/isecg, the conduct of science. In a remarkably short time they have become a mainstream with NASA supporting a GER pdf, chart page 50, ISECG. (2) Dave Dunlop variety of lunar missions with its ALANA and Cube and Kim Holder, 2015, NSS Moonwards chapter Quest programs. Several will fly on the SLS-Orion Evolved ILD GER graphic. (3) Li Ping, CAST, May, unmanned test Mission One. 6 There is no mention 23,2015, ISDC, Toronto Canada, slides presented by of An International Lunar Survey Working Group Dr. Feng Hsu .(4) www.lpi.usra.edu/leag/roadmap/ mechanism for providing cartographic planning and a (5) Charles Miller, NexGen LLC, July, 13, 2015, common geodetic registration system requirements for www.nss.org/docs/EvolvableLunarArchitec- lunar data sets that could will enhance both scientific ture.pdf, p. 90. (6) B. A. Archinal, Need for Lunar and commercial objectives. ) These system support and Planetary Cartography Planning, Annual Meeting requirements are needed for an effective ILD campaign of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (2014). which begins at the Moon. (6) 7 An additional omission is for supporting infrastructure requirements for communications naviga- tion, and refueling. Emerging Trends and An Evolv- ing Process in an Evolved Global Exploration Roadmap: The Evolved ILD Global Exploration Roadmap attempts to address some of these omissions above and a variety of commercial proposals. No