Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1)

The Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) is a Game Changing Development Program initiative designed to advance In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technologies critical for sustainable lunar and future Mars exploration. PRIME-1’s primary goal is to develop and demonstrate a flight-ready instrument suite capable of detecting and characterizing water and other volatiles in the lunar polar regions. This effort directly supports NASA’s objectives for a sustained lunar presence by 2028 and provides essential ground-truth data for resource mapping and utilization strategies. PRIME-1 integrates two high-TRL instruments: TRIDENT, a rotary-percussive drill capable of retrieving regolith samples from depths up to one meter, and MSolo, a ruggedized quadrupole mass spectrometer adapted from commercial-off-the-shelf technology. Together, these instruments will operate on a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) lander to drill, expose, and analyze subsurface material for volatile content. MSolo will measure gases released during drilling, while TRIDENT will deliver regolith cuttings for surface analysis. This synergistic approach enables unprecedented resolution in volatile detection, surpassing current orbital data limitations. The project objectives include validating hydrogen abundance predictions from orbital assets, refining resource location models, and informing future ISRU system designs. PRIME-1’s technical milestones encompass instrument development, verification and validation testing, integration with the CLPS lander, and lunar surface operations. Data collected will be archived in NASA’s Planetary Data System for broad scientific and engineering use. By providing critical insights into lunar water distribution and mining feasibility, PRIME-1 represents a pivotal step toward enabling resource-based exploration architectures. Its successful execution will reduce mission risk, lower logistical costs, and accelerate NASA’s vision for sustainable human exploration beyond Earth.

​An initial detailing of the vertical extent of volatiles at a ice-stable polar location from a static CLPS lander will inform insitu resource models and design parameters. Data parameters such as relotith temperature with depth, the force on drill bit required to reach a depth of one meter, the angle of repose of the soil delivered to the surface by the drill, the volatile sublimation rate of watr ice, and the quantification and qualification of all volatiles detected will all inform ISRU future design intiatives.  Further the PRIME-1 mission will inform NASA's upcoming VIPER mission as both instruments flown as part of PRIME-1 will fly on integrated into the VIPER rover.  The operational data obtained from PRIME-1 will inform the VIPER operational timeline. Geotechnical data and volatiles data acquired from an Artemis landing location where PRIME-1 is expected to land will help inform future Artemis landing and habitation activities at the site.

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