Feasibility analysis and preliminary design of a Lunar Reconnaissance Drone

This thesis presents the feasibility analysis and preliminary design of a new Lunar Reconnaissance Drone. The system’s objective, which is composed of the drone and a service station, is to assist a large-scale rover mission into low-light zones of the Moon such as the permanently shadowed regions (PSR). The drone uses a flash Lidar to obtain 3D high-resolution maps and transmits them to the rover, once docked on top of the service station. A risk analysis is performed, which concludes that the propulsion subsystem, the thermal control, and the mapping instrument are the most critical components of the mission. Nonetheless, throughout the project, no unfeasible aspects were encountered. All the subsystems are designed, with a focus on the propulsion system, followed by a first 3D model of the drone. A flight simulator is developed, and gives the optimal flight conditions, following the system’s requirements. It leads to a flight time of 120.4 s, and fuel consumption of 1.86 kg for each flight. From this preliminary design, the estimated mass of the drone is 16.96 kg.