LuNaDrone: nano drone for Lunar Exploration

The LuNaDrone mission concept aims at exploring the entrance of a lunar lava tube by means of a small spacecraft capable of performing autonomous flights. Access from the lunar surface to these volcanogenic underground channels may be provided through skylights, vertical shafts formed by partial collapses of the lava tube ceilings. The lunar pits that have been discovered in recent years are already of great scientific relevance, but those that will prove to be skylights will be of great interest for human exploration, as the caves they give access to would shelter from cosmic radiations, micrometeoroids, and extreme temperature swings. The LuNaDrone mission concept provides opportunities both to acquire data scientifically relevant to planetary science and to assess the feasibility of establishing lunar outposts at these sites. The proposal relies on LuNaDrone, a compact spacecraft of 12U, which would land on the Moon aboard a host spacecraft (HSC). The HSC would provide power and communications to LuNaDrone until the start of the drone's operational phase, which would begin with the detachment from the HSC. The drone is equipped with a monopropellant propulsion system and a range-visual-inertial navigation system that together provide the spacecraft with the ability to perform a controlled flight which includes: reaching the skylight, descending into the pit, emerging from the skylight and landing at a site in line-of-sight with the HSC. During the flight, LuNaDrone would be able to acquire data concerning the morphology of the lunar pit and the accessibility conditions of the lava tube entrance, if present. Although LuNaDrone is designed for the exploration of lunar pits, its ability to quickly traverse difficult terrain and acquire images from a high vantage point makes this type of spacecraft an ideal forward reconnaissance platform that would offer a broad range of scouting possibilities. The LuNaDrone concept was conceived in response to the Artemis Accords signed by Italy and USA in 2020. The idea behind this project is to follow the same approach adopted for CubeSats in terms of standardisation and modularity, i.e. to meet the need for standard, flexible and low-cost drones for lunar exploration. The LuNaDrone project, which is led by Politecnico di Torino with the involvement of selected Italian SME's under the aegis of CEIPIEMONTE (in particular for international relations), has been underway for two years and, after successfully concluding the feasibility studies, is now entering the prototype phase, tackling the development of LuNaDrone’s systems.