The Canadian Lunar Rover: A Rover Mission to the South Pole of the Moon
- Paper number
IAC-24,A3,2B,12,x89577
- Author
Dr. Gordon Osinski, University of Western Ontario (UWO), Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Perry Edmundson, Canadensys Aerospace Corporation, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Ed Cloutis, Univeristy of Winnipeg, Canada
- Coauthor
Ms. Myriam Lemelin, University of Sherbrooke, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Caroline-Emmanuelle Morisset, Canadian Space Agency, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Martin Picard, Canadian Space Agency, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Tom Lamarche, Canadian Space Agency, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Benjamin Greenhagen, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Martin Smith, Bubble Technology Industries, Canada
- Coauthor
Mrs. Tanya Harrison, Earth and Planetary Institute of Canada, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. John Hackett, Canadensys Aerospace Corporation, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Joshua Newman, Canadensys Aerospace Corporation, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Joshua Cahill, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Anthony Colaprete, NASA Ames Research Center, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Alister Cunje, Western University, Canada
- Coauthor
Prof. Michael Daly, York University, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Roberta Flemming, Western University, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Craig Hardgrove, Arizona State University, United States
- Coauthor
Prof. Christopher Herd, University of Alberta, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Scott MacEwan, Bubble Technology Industries, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Catherine Neish, Canada
- Coauthor
Mrs. Louisa Preston, University College London (UCL), United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Mr. Matthew Siegler, Planetary Science Institute, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Adam Sirek, Leap Biosystems, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Livio Tornabene, University of Western Ontario (UWO), Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Dave Williams, Leap Biosystems, Canada
- Year
2024
- Abstract
The Canadian Lunar Rover is the first ever Canadian-led planetary exploration endeavour. Funded by the Canadian Space Agency’s Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program, Canadensys Aerospace Corporation was selected in November 2022 as the prime contractor for this mission, which aims to land a 35 kg Canadian rover in the south polar region of the Moon no earlier than 2026. The rover will carry 5 Canadian and 1 U.S. scientific payloads and it will fly as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The goal is that the rover will be able to operate inside of permanently shadowed regions for up to one hour and survive multiple lunar nights. There are 3 high-level mission objectives for the Canadian Lunar Rover: (1) Demonstrate and characterize Canadian technology on the surface of the Moon; (2) Perform meaningful science; and (3) Increase the Canadian Space Sector’s readiness for future lunar missions. Along with the technology-demonstration focus of this mission, there are 3 overarching science objectives: (1) Lunar polar geology and mineral resources; (2) Lunar polar shadow, cold-traps, and volatiles; (3) Environmental monitoring for engineering to ensure the health of future astronaut. Science Instruments: Six main science instruments will be carried by the rover. Stereo cameras. There are two identical forward-looking imagers, tilted downward, located at the top of the rover and separated by ~30 cm forming a stereo pair. Multispectral Imager (MSI). This instrument uses LEDs with a wavelength of 365 to 950 nm. The MSI points diagonally downward from horizontal and can image objects ranging from horizontal surfaces to vertical surfaces. Lyman-Alpha Imager (LAI): This instrument will be able to identify the presence of water ice. It will measure lunar surface reflectance at 121.6 nm. Lunar Hydrogen Autonomous Neutron Spectrometer (LHANS). This is a combined neutron and gamma-ray instrument with the overall goal of detecting hydrogen as a proxy for water ice in the south polar region of the Moon. Radiation Micro-Dosimeter. The goal of this instrument is to provide data on the radiation environment through time for the lunar south pole. LAFORGE. The Lunar Advanced Filter Observing Radiometer for Geologic Exploration (LAFORGE) instrument is being provided by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory through a partnership with NASA. LAFORGE will provide high-resolution thermal imaging with an ability to obtain highly accurate temperature measurements across the full range of thermal environments present on the Moon.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
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