Astronomy:Spacebit Mission One

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Spacebit Mission One
Mission typeLunar lander, rover
OperatorSpacebit
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerSpacebit
Start of mission
Launch dateJuly 2021[1]
RocketVulcan
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance (ULA)
Moon lander
Spacecraft componentRover
Landing dateTBD
Landing siteLacus Mortis
 

Spacebit Mission One is the United Kingdom first planned robotic lunar mission; the rover is being designed by the privately held company Spacebit in collaboration with Yuzhmash. Its main goal is to deliver the Asagumo lunar rover[2][3] to the surface of the Moon and demonstrate a new lunar exploration technology related to lunar lava tubes, which is expected to result in more sustainable lunar exploration.[4][5]

Spacebit Mission One is scheduled to launch in July 2021.[6]

Overview

Astrobotic's first lunar lander mission, called Mission One, is planned to have 14 commercial payloads. These include small rovers from Hakuto and Team AngelicvM[7] and a larger rover from Carnegie Mellon University named Andy.[8] It will also include an unusual miniature rover of 1.3 kg, called Asagumo, that moves on four legs.[9][10] Asagumo is a technological demonstrator that is planned to travel a distance of at least 10 m (33 ft).[11]

Image of Lacus Mortis featuring rilles (narrow depressions collectively called Rimae Bürg) thought to indicate lava tubes beneath the surface, which may be explored by the Asagumo moon rover during Spacebit Mission One.[12]

In September 2019, Spacebit signed an agreement to deliver Asagumo, the United Kingdom 's first lunar rover, naming the project Spacebit Mission One.[13][14][15] Spacebit founder Pavlo Tanasyuk,[16] had invested his earnings from selling his former company (a payment system called MoneyXy) in other space projects which were the predecessors to Spacebit.

On November 18, 2019, the CEO of Spacebit, Yuzhnoye Design Buro, unveiled a new Lunar Lander-Hopper prototype at the Dubai Airshow, while also announcing the UAE as the official testing location for a Spider Moon Rover — "the smallest robotic Moon rover in the world with legs." The lander was developed over two to three years with engine testing starting earlier. The Spider Moon Rover was due to be launched formally in 2020. The precise testing location in Abu Dhabi has yet to be identified.[17][18]

"Our Lunar Lander is different as it incorporates the ability to 'hop' from one landing site to another," said Tanasyuk. It will be designed to deliver "150 kg or more of payload" to one landing point or "50 kg or more" to up to three remote landing points on the lunar surface within a distance of up to 20 km, said Spacebit.[19][20] Equipped with four legs rather than wheels or tracks, the rover will be able to explore parts of the Moon other landers cannot reach.[21][22]

The Asagumo robot rover can withstand temperatures up to 130C (266F). Power: Solar panels. Batteries: Lithium polymer.

The plan is to land Astrobotic's Peregrine lander next to a pit located in the Lacus Mortis plain, then circumnavigate the pit with another rover while Asagumo enters the pit,[19][17] which is thought to offer access to the lava tubes suspected to exist below the surface.[23][18][12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Firstpost •Jan 27; Ist, 2020 08:55. "Spacebit 3: ISRO starts work on second lander mission to the moon, launch planned in early 2021- Technology News, Firstpost". https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2019/09/24/mystery-startup-says-it-will-be-the-first-u-k-company-to-reach-the-moon-in-2021/#1b398f1253d1/.html. 
  2. ↑ October 2019, Mike Wall 12. "UK's 1st Moon Rover to Launch in 2021" (in en). https://www.space.com/uk-first-moon-rover-spacebit-launch-2021.html. 
  3. ↑ Clark, Stuart (2019-10-17). "Spacewatch: UK's first moon rover poised for 2021 touchdown" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/oct/17/spacewatch-uks-first-moon-rover-poised-for-2021-touchdown. 
  4. ↑ (in en) Spacebit Mission One: UK's 1st Moon Rover to Launch in 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSGFL4W1guk, retrieved 2020-02-01 
  5. ↑ Hoggins, Tom (2019-10-10). "UK to send 'walking' spider robot to the moon in its first lunar rover mission" (in en-GB). The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/10/10/uk-send-walking-spider-robot-moon-first-lunar-rover-mission/. 
  6. ↑ Clark, Stuart (2019-10-17). "Spacewatch: UK's first moon rover poised for 2021 touchdown" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/oct/17/spacewatch-uks-first-moon-rover-poised-for-2021-touchdown. 
  7. ↑ "Astrobotic ready to become delivery service to the Moon" (in en-US). 2018-03-19. https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/commercial/astrobotic-ready-become-delivery-service-moon/. 
  8. ↑ "CMU | Lunar". 2015-02-03. http://lunar.cs.cmu.edu/. 
  9. ↑ "Britain’s first moon rover is a four-legged robot that will explore lunar tunnels" (in en). https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/britain-s-first-moon-rover-four-legged-robot-will-explore-ncna1064611. 
  10. ↑ "Tiny walking rover bound for the moon" (in en). Reuters. 2019-10-10. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-exploration-britain-rover-idUSKBN1WP2D3. 
  11. ↑ October 2019, Mike Wall 12. "UK's 1st Moon Rover to Launch in 2021" (in en). https://www.space.com/uk-first-moon-rover-spacebit-launch-2021.html. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 3D Printed structure of Lacus Mortis pit crater with assumption of a cave underneath. Ik-Seon Hong, Eunjin Cho, Yu Yi, Jaehyung Yu, Junichi Haruyama. 2nd International Planetary Caves Conference (2015).
  13. ↑ "Astrobotic Awarded $79.5 Million Contract to Deliver 14 NASA Payloads to the Moon | Astrobotic". https://www.astrobotic.com/2019/5/31/astrobotic-awarded-79-5-million-contract-to-deliver-14-nasa-payloads-to-the-moon. 
  14. ↑ "Spacebit to unveil the UK’s first Lunar Lander-Hopper at the Dubai Airshow 2019 – India Strategic" (in en-US). https://www.indiastrategic.in/2019/11/18/spacebit-to-unveil-the-uks-first-lunar-lander-hopper-at-the-dubai-airshow-2019/. 
  15. ↑ "Astrobotic and Spacebit Announce Agreement to Bring the First UK Commercial Payload to the Moon | Astrobotic". https://www.astrobotic.com/2019/9/24/astrobotic-and-spacebit-announce-agreement-to-bring-the-first-uk-commercial-payload-to-the-moon. 
  16. ↑ "Pavlo Tanasyuk". https://live.newscientist.com/speakers/pavlo-tanasyuk#/. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Sheppard, Ian. "UK Lunar Lander Will Be Tested in UAE" (in en). https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2019-11-18/uk-lunar-lander-will-be-tested-uae. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Spacebit to unveil the UK’s first Lunar Lander-Hopper at the Dubai Airshow 2019 – India Strategic" (in en-US). https://www.indiastrategic.in/2019/11/18/spacebit-to-unveil-the-uks-first-lunar-lander-hopper-at-the-dubai-airshow-2019/. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Sheppard, Ian. "UK Lunar Lander Will Be Tested in UAE" (in en). https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2019-11-18/uk-lunar-lander-will-be-tested-uae. 
  20. ↑ Sheppard, Ian. "UK Lunar Lander Will Be Tested in UAE" (in en). https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2019-11-18/uk-lunar-lander-will-be-tested-uae. 
  21. ↑ "SpaceBit moon rover set to land on lunar surface in 2021" (in en). https://news.sky.com/story/spacebit-moon-rover-set-to-land-on-lunar-surface-in-2021-11832125. 
  22. ↑ Browne, Ryan (2019-10-10). "Britain's first moon rover is a tiny four-legged robot that will launch into space by 2021" (in en). https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/10/britain-is-sending-a-four-legged-robotic-rover-to-the-moon.html. 
  23. ↑ "3D Modeling of Lacus Mortis Pit Crater with Presumed Interior Tube Structure." Journal of Astronomy and Space Science 32(2); Pages: 113-120; June 2015.  doi:10.5140/JASS.2015.32.2.113




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