An Overview of the Lunar Water ISRU Measurement Study (LWIMS)

NASA announced plans for the Artemis program, which would send crewed missions to the Moon by 2024 and achieve a sustainable lunar presence by 2028 [1]. To carry out sustained crewed surface operations, In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), which would use lunar resources to produce mission consumables, will be critical. Water-bearing materials have been identified at both lunar poles and are often associated with Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs). These constitute a geological resource that may or may not be convertible to reserves with additional exploration. This water could provide both fuel and oxygen for refueling vehicles as well as life support consumables. However, the nature and extent of this resource is not well understood. Detection of water alone is not adequate for ISRU planning. For this reason, NASA chartered the Lunar Water ISRU Measurement Study (LWIMS). The goal of this study was to assess and define the type, amount, and fidelity of the measurements needed to select mining locations for lunar water ISRU and to define resource-related requirements for ISRU hardware development and architectures (mining operations, hardware emplacement, concept of operations).