Feasibility Study and Preliminary Design of Lunar Reconnaissance Drone

With orbiting stations and ground bases planned to be built, we are yet to master the ability to explore long term and long range over areas of the Moon often characterised by an extreme topography, dauntingly low temperatures, and wedged with what are known as Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs). This represents significant challenges for traditional ground exploration approaches, often relying on individual, limited-range, slow, wheeled rovers. Precise knowledge about the terrain for an optimised route planning is crucial and often relies on limited-resolution satellite data from lunar orbiters, data that are even more limited in PSRs. The need for a long-range yet simple and lightweight scouting method is becoming more and more apparent. The goal of this project is to study the feasibility of a compact, lightweight, and versatile lunar reconnaissance drone that can be quickly deployed and refuelled from a ground vehicle or a rover. The drone will be capable of producing high-resolution maps (~10cm/px) that can be used to optimise mission planning and assist robotic assets on the ground. This innovative mission design was developed using established Systems Engineering tools and approaches. It highlights the main challenges of such a system and sets the baseline for future developments.