PRAXIS: Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ Sampling

Humanity has never directly sampled the particles of a planetary ring. PRAXIS develops an AI‑driven, bio‑inspired robotic explorer to perform in‑situ ring sampling for the first time, targeting Saturn's dense rings and other systems like Uranus, Neptune, and Centaurs Chariklo and Chiron. Despite Cassini's groundbreaking discoveries, fundamental questions about the formation, dynamics, and evolution of planetary rings remain unanswered, and there is a strong scientific case for direct sampling, as Saturn’s rings consist of micron‑size grains to house‑size boulders, always in motion, and sampling small (mm‑to‑cm‑scale) particles is scientifically more important than sampling larger boulders. Many ring structures and features such as self‑gravity wakes, propellers, density waves, and gap edges remain to be explored at high resolution. The system adapts sport‑casting‑inspired capture techniques to grab free‑floating particles and uses miniaturized instruments for real‑time analysis, with AI enabling autonomous guidance, navigation, and control to safely perform sample acquisition while avoiding collisions in the highly dynamic ring environment. Planetary rings are highly dynamic environments where constant particle motion demands advanced robotic autonomy for collision avoidance, precision sampling, and in‑situ analysis. Bio‑inspired samplers, such as mechanisms modeled on a chameleon‑tongue‑style capture system, and a reconnecting probe architecture are incorporated into the sampling design. The spacecraft would perform an imaging and characterization phase to select a target particle, conduct a touch‑and‑go sampling event using a long, soft deployable boom to keep the spacecraft safely away from moving particles, then move to sample other regions or gaps. This NIAC Phase I concept builds on the Saturn Ring Observer Mission Study, which considered an orbit grazing the rings and hovering above them to directly image ring particles in motion, and targets delivering the first direct observations of mm‑to‑cm‑scale ring particles, with feasibility demonstrated in Phase I through simulation and system design, motivating development of a physical prototype in Phase II. The system’s versatility makes it valuable across planetary formation missions, positioning it for infusion into the upcoming Uranus Probe mission.

Saturn's rings are micron-size grains to house-size boulders, always in motion. They are made mostly of water ice, piles of rubble coming together and breaking apart. PRAXIS addresses a key Decadal priority by delivering the first direct observations of mm- to cm-scale ring particles, a capability Cassini lacked. Planetary rings are highly dynamic environments where constant particle motion demands advanced robotic autonomy for collision avoidance, precision sampling, and in situ analysis. Our system adapts innovations from sport casting to capture free-floating particles, and instrument miniaturization for real-time analysis. AI integration enables the first-ever autonomous collection of ring particles, directly measuring science priorities like particle size, porosity, and composition.

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