System concept for the Roscosmos Luna 27 with ESA developed Prospect drill and laboratory. When launched in 2025, it will provide in-situ measurements of icy regolith at the lunar south pole. Credit: ESA.

Planned to land on the Moon in 2025, the Roscosmos Luna 27 will carry an ESA designed robotic drill and laboratory dedicated to collecting and processing volatiles from regolith. While we know ice exists within permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) at the lunar poles, little is known about the exact composition and structure. In-situ sampling is therefore essential for understanding this ice, allowing engineers to build better ice processing systems.

The robotic drill and miniature laboratory package is called Prospect. The drill, called ProSEED, is a percussion drill capable of drilling up to two meters into the regolith to collect ice bearing material. Demonstrations of this drill have shown that it is powerful enough to collect very fine dust from icy regolith-simulants ranging in size from gravel to fine dust.

The ESA developed ProSEED drill will collect fine lunar dust that should contain icy material. Terrestrial tests have shown that it is powerful enough to dig through sub-zero icy gravel. Credit: ESA/Leonardo Space.

Once material is collected, it will be processed in an analysis suite called ProSPA. This laboratory will parse out the chemical composition of the ice from the fine dust. In addition to being lightweight and compact, this lab is fully automated. Meteorites were used to test the instrument on Earth.

ESA is also providing the main navigation system for Luna 27. This will allow Luna 27 to land with high accuracy, while autonomously avoiding hazards. Science teams are currently narrowing down the landing sites, aiming for an area near the lunar south pole that is shaded yet devoid of obstacles.

A 31.5 million Euro contract was recently signed for the design, testing, and final integration of Prospect. This is a positive signal that the mission is continuing progress. Having been on the drawing board since 2014, Lunar 27 has a long history, but there is promise it will finally be launched in 2025 to provide ground breaking science.

Read more about the ESA Prospect system here.