SFL Missions to support ESA’s Moon mapping study

SFL Missions is involved in the European Space Agency’s Moonraker lunar mapping mission to create a detailed elevation map of the Moon’s surface. The company is part of a team led by NUVIEW GmbH to conduct a Pre-Phase A study, within a new scheme for Small Exploration Missions, for the Moonraker satellite. SFL Missions will contribute to transit trajectory analysis, orbit design and satellite platform conceptual design for Moonraker.

The Moonraker mission will consist of a single orbiter operating in a low-altitude polar orbit around the Moon. The orbiter will host a Lidar payload to capture highly accurate elevation points of the terrain. These points will be used to generate 3D elevation models that will be relied upon to assess and select future landing sites.

Broad-area scanning and high-resolution surveys

Moonraker’s Lidar data will also serve a broader scientific purpose, including scanning permanently shadowed regions for water ice and providing valuable insights into the Moon’s geological and interior composition. The Moonraker Lidar will operator in two modes – one for broad-area scanning of the Moon’s polar regions, and the other for high-resolution surveys of specific areas of interest.

“As part of the Pre-Phase A contract led by NUVIEW, SFL Missions is supporting the mission concept by contributing to transit trajectory analysis, orbit design and satellite platform conceptual design for Moonraker,” said Jesse Eyer, NUVIEW Space Missions Architect. “We’re proud to collaborate on advancing this visionary lunar Lidar initiative.”

The mission analysis evaluates possible launch options and trajectories for efficiently entering into lunar orbit, and it studies how the operational orbit parameters impact the spacecraft design and payload data collection. The system design focuses on payload accommodation, spacecraft layout, and sizing of the various subsystem components. In particular, the propulsion system is sized with the appropriate amount of fuel to complete the transit phase and then maintain the operational orbit while counteracting perturbations caused by the Moon’s irregular gravity field. Detailed mission and system requirements are also developed to guide future design phases for the project.

NUVIEW GmbH of Berlin, Germany, serves as prime contractor for the Pre-Phase A study team, which includes several members in addition to SFL Missions. NUVIEW GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of NUVIEW Inc. which is developing the world’s first commercial space-based Lidar constellation for 3D mapping of the Earth.