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NASA develops a new type of solar lunar rover for polar water resources
NASA is developing a new type of solar-powered lunar rover to explore and analyze potential water ice deposits at the Moon's South Pole. This mission aims to investigate how liquid water might be produced on the Moon using local resources. The project, called "RESOLVE" (Resource Prospector), is designed to search for water and volatile materials, and test methods for extracting and utilizing these resources in situ.
Scheduled for launch in November 2017, the mission will take about a week to reach the lunar surface. However, funding is limited—only $250 million is allocated, which includes the cost of launching the rover from Earth to the Moon. To manage this budget, the team plans to rely on solar power, despite the challenges posed by the extreme conditions at the lunar poles, where sunlight is available only in short bursts.
William Larson, a retired NASA project manager, explained that while nuclear power would be more efficient for such missions, it’s not feasible due to financial constraints. He emphasized that using solar energy is the most practical approach, even though it adds complexity to the mission. Scientists involved are working under tight deadlines and must optimize every aspect of the rover’s operation.
Once the lander reaches the Moon, the rover will have approximately 2.5 days of sunlight to gather data, including searching for hydrogen atoms. Then, during the two-day shadow period, it will rest. After that, there will be a five-day light cycle, during which the rover will attempt to drill one meter into the lunar soil, collect samples, and analyze them for water content. The onboard equipment will heat the samples to extract liquid water, and the project will also test how oxygen and hydrogen from the soil can be used to create water on-site.
Larson noted that the main goal is to assess the distribution of water ice, but since the outcome is uncertain, a backup plan involving testing oxygen extraction from the soil has been prepared. He described the mission as the most complex and challenging lunar rover project in NASA’s history, given the tight schedule and budget.
The RESOLVE mission follows previous efforts like the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the LCROSS mission, which in 2009 impacted a crater near the Moon’s south pole. That mission detected about 5% water in the debris, but the source of this water remains unclear. RESOLVE aims to provide more direct evidence and insights into the origin of lunar water, whether from comets, asteroids, or internal geological processes.
David Paige, a lunar scientist from UCLA, highlighted the importance of the Moon’s polar regions, which are extremely cold and potentially rich in volatile substances. He said, “We believe these areas could hold significant amounts of water, but we need to confirm if they actually exist there.â€
At a recent seminar, Larson shared details about the project, which will involve collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency. A field simulation is planned for the summer in Hawaii to test the rover’s capabilities under similar conditions. This mission marks a crucial step in preparing for future lunar exploration and potential long-term human presence on the Moon.
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