Autonomous surface sampling for the Europa Lander mission concept

Area of Science:

• Planetary Science
• Astrobiology
• Robotics

Background:

• Jupiter's moon Europa is a prime target for astrobiology due to its potential to harbor life.
• Previous mission concepts faced challenges with unknown surface conditions, limited communication windows, and hardware constraints.
• Developing autonomous sampling capabilities is critical for successful Europa lander missions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate autonomous sampling hardware and software for a Europa lander mission.
• To address the challenge of acquiring samples in diverse and unknown surface conditions on Europa.
• To enable end-to-end autonomous sampling operations for a planetary exploration mission.

Main Methods:

• Multiyear development leveraging simulation and test-bed environments.
• Design and integration of specialized sampling hardware.
• Development of autonomous software for navigation and sample acquisition.
• Field campaign on Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, simulating Europa's icy environment.

Main Results:

• Successful demonstration of autonomous end-to-end sampling activities.
• Validation of representative lander hardware in a simulated extraterrestrial environment.
• Proof of concept for robust sample collection across varied surface conditions.

Conclusions:

• Autonomous sampling systems are feasible and essential for future Europa lander missions.
• The developed technology can overcome key operational challenges for exploring icy moons.
• This work paves the way for in-situ life detection on Europa.