Power-over-Fiber to Enable a Lunar Underground eXplorer (LUX)

This study will address transmitting laser power-over-fiber (PoF) to enable a hovering robotic lunar lava tube exploration and scientific mission. As one or more LUX vehicles descends the Mare Tranquillitatis pit (and into the tunnels beyond) a thin, light, robust, optical waveguide (fiber) is spooled out from an on-vehicle spooler. A lander or rover carries a laser (and its power source) which delivers PoFto a LUX exploration vehicle. A vehicle-deployed fiber waveguide will enable three novel capabilities: assured high speed non-line of-sight data transmission; onboard electrical power generation; and laser enhanced specific impulse (Isp) for a non-polluting cold gas propulsion system. Taken together we posit that these will significantly enhance the range, duration, and quality of science and exploration for subsurface lunar (and eventually Martian) exploration. While other lunar lava tube mission proposals exist, none have the unique combinations of enabling elements of our concept.

Lava tubes are one of the most interesting and entirely uncharted targets for lunar science and exploration. The Mare Tranquillitatis lunar skylight measures approximately 100m by 88m across and is 133m deep. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data indicates the pit leads to an extensive subsurface lava tube that may continue for kilometers. The Lunar Underground eXplorer (LUX) mission seeks to explore and map these tunnels to assess their merits as sheltered sites for crewed lunar bases (naturally protected from cosmic radiation), and address scientific questions that could lead to discoveries in planetary geology and astrobiology. There are serious challenges with such exploration. It requires vertical entry; the morphology will be complex; there is no possibility of wireless data transmission to the lander; it will be energetically demanding (due to complete darkness); exploration and navigation within completely un-mapped 3D overhead environments is energy intensive and there is no GPS navigation aiding; critically, the system must be non-polluting so as to not affect sensor measurements of the pristine environment.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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