Lunar Propellant Factory Mission Design To Sustain Future Human Exploration

The International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) is the standard document reflecting the current focus of the leading space agencies that envision space exploration missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), returning to the Moon and going to Mars in the upcoming years. The roadmap showcases the Moon as a stepping-stone for further human space exploration, by setting up a sustainable space infrastructure on its surface an orbit. Inspired from this vision, we present the result of a phase A study about a lunar propellant factory near the Shackleton south-pole crater relying on In-Situ Resources Utilization (ISRU) to produce and sell Liquid Oxygen (LOX) on the moon surface and in orbit. The overall timeline of the mission is in line with the ISECG exploration roadmap Moon phase, based on realistic technologies of advanced-enough Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). It is a second iteration on the Lunar Propellant Outpost (LUPO) mission architecture, presented during IAC 2018. We preserved and reviewed the original building blocks (Habitats, Crew Mobility Elements, ISRU Facilities, and Lunar Spaceport) of the LUPO mission architecture, and further improved the mission design, supported by trade-off analysis on different mission scenarios. An extensive analysis and optimisation have been performed on ISRU processes and surface electrical power management, the core of our infrastructure. The mission architecture also includes crew on the lunar surface, so life support systems and habitat, as well as operations concepts, have been studied in-depth, and a synthesis of all results is presented. The main aim of this iteration was to improve and refine the baseline infrastructural and technological design architecture of LUPO and reflect on missions going beyond the Moon by providing refuelling services, with sustainability and economic viability in mind

Partial Ownership for Outer Space Resources

AbstractThe most widely adopted agreement on space law, the Outer Space Treaty (OST) (1967), actively promotes international partnerships and peaceful uses of outer space. It also forbids any claims of sovereignty or private property on celestial bodies; however, nothing is explicitly written about the use of resources that can be found there. Other texts, like the Moon Agreement (1979), attempted to extend provisions on this regard, but only 18 nations ratified this agreement, probably because it also contains obligations that remove all incentives for the private industry to participate in the exploitation of outer space resources, such as the obligation to disclose all discoveries and share the benefits between all state parties. Today, most missions are scientific, so there is no need to compete for using space resources. If tomorrow society wants to incentivize participation, and leverage the available funds, from the private sector to explore and exploit outer space, an allocation mechanism that allows to dispute the use of resources needs to be set up. On Earth, this is achieved by the private property system and commercial competition. However, private property is not allowed by the OST, because it has a right of exclusion, and everyone shall be free to use space resources if it does not interfere with activities of other nations. An exclusivity of use for the first nation to exploit a given resource is not desired either and is precisely why the OST was established in the first place. In full compliance with the OST, this paper introduces the concept of Partial Ownership of Outer Space Resources (POOSR). This system allows to compete for the use of resources, without granting monopoly, as it always keeps the competition for ownership open. It is based on the introduction of a Harberger tax and a Partial Ownership system, that allows to expose commonly-owned resources (such as outer space asteroids, or planetary surface areas) to the efficiency of allocation provided by market dynamics, while preserving the incentives for investment to the current owners and preventing resource locking. This paper shows how such system would foster investments from private entities, as well as how it would benefit to all the international entities or nations participating to it. The synergy between such system, international regulations, and national laws, to establish a regulation for space mining and other outer space activities is also discussed

Aluminum-induced colloidal destabilization of iron-organic matter nanoaggregates

International audienceThe structural organization of heterogeneous and multiphase natural aggregates depends on the biophysicochemical conditions prevailing in the environment, with major ions playing a crucial role. In this study, the impact of aluminum (Al) on iron-organic matter (Fe-OM) aggregates was investigated since Al can interact with OM and can be incorporated in Fe-oxyhydroxides or adsorbed on their surface. Mimetic environmental Fe-OM-Al aggregates were synthesized at various [Fe] and [Al] with a constant [OM]. At low [Al+Fe], Fe-OM-Al aggregates exhibit a colloidal behavior. Within the aggregates, Fe is present as Fe(III)-oligomers and ferrihydrite-like nanoparticles whereas Al forms monomers, oligomers and small polymers, all bound to OM. The Al and Fe phases interacted with each other. At high [Fe+Al], the Fe(III)-oligomers and Al monomers/oligomers polymerized which increases the size and quantity of the ferrihydrite-like nanoparticles and Al polymers and then branched out the OM, resulting in a large settling network. The effect of Al on the Fe-OM aggregates structure could also have an impact on the fate of pollutants. The occurrence of Al amorphous hydroxides and the increase in ferrihydrite-like nanoparticles lead to a higher availability of surface reactive sites and subsequently to an increase in the sorption capacity of the Fe-OM aggregates for pollutants that exhibit a greater affinity for minerals than for organics