Universe Today
What kind of spacecraft can be used to explore and study the subsurface lunar environment? This is what a recent study presented at the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) hopes to address as an international team of researchers discussed the benefits of a mission concept called LunarLeaper, which will be designed to traverse and analyze the various aspects of the lunar subsurface environment, including moon pits and lava tubes.
Here, Universe Today discusses this incredible research with Dr. Anna Mittelholz, who is a lecturer in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at ETH Zurich and lead author of the study, regarding the motivation behind the study, significant takeaways, next steps in developing LunarLeaper, and the importance of exploring the subsurface lunar environment. Therefore, what was the motivation behind the study?
Dr. Mittelholz tells Universe Today, “The primary motivation behind LunarLeaper was to enable agile and versatile access to challenging lunar terrain—particularly regions that traditional rovers struggle to reach, like steep slopes, rugged ejecta fields, and skylights leading to lava tubes. Paired with this outstanding science questions around subsurface lava tube was motivation enough!”
For the study, the researchers discussed several aspects of the LunarLeaper mission concept, including mission objectives, detailed breakdown of data collection, and how LunarLeaper could lay the foundation for future lunar exploration missions. For mission objectives, LunarLeaper will explore and analyze lunar lava tubes for their robotic and human exploration potential, specifically regarding if they could be used for human habitation. Additionally, LunarLeaper will investigate lunar volcanic and geologic history and how the lunar regolith (dust) played a role in the Moon’s evolutionary history.
Most importantly, the researchers analyzed how LunarLeaper could operate on the Moon, specifically navigating the uneven subsurface terrain of lava caves. While the lunar surface has uneven regions from craters, boulders, volcanic fields, and mountains, the environment of lava caves is even more unpredictable from collapsed channels, loose rocks, or sharp edges. This occurs when lava cools and is frozen in place in awkward locations, creating an environment that is difficult to navigate for humans or robots. Therefore, what are the most significant takeaways from this study?
“One key takeaway is that legged locomotion—or in our case, leaping—on the Moon is not only feasible but potentially game-changing for planetary exploration,” Dr. Mittelholz tells Universe Today. “Our simulations show that a hopping robot can navigate uneven terrain much more effectively than wheeled systems. Additionally, we’ve highlighted our specific mission architectures where this approach could provide unique scientific returns, especially in subsurface exploration.”
Mission concepts often take years to go from an idea to reality, comprised of a myriad of steps to ensure all mission aspects are fully operational and capable of performing in a space-based environment. This includes designs, tests, re-designs, more tests, system integrations to ensure each system can communicate with each other, more tests, countless meetings regarding funding and timetables, even more tests, until it’s finally ready for launch. NASA uses their Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) system to gauge progress on a mission plan and rate this progress, accordingly. Therefore, what are the next steps in developing LunarLeaper?
Dr. Mittelholz tells Universe Today, “We just passed our mission concept review and are now mostly focused on increasing the TRL of key systems, such as the locomotion and autonomous navigation.”
While NASA’s Apollo program proudly conducted the most in-depth surface exploration of the Moon, robotic and human exploration of the Moon’s surface began with missions conducted by NASA and the Soviet Union with the Luna and Ranger missions, respectively. As NASA geared up for Apollo, they conducted the Surveyor missions to better understand landing on the Moon’s surface.
After Apollo 17 in 1972, NASA entered a decades-long lull in lunar surface exploration but has still successfully conducted orbital exploration that has helped scientists gain immense insight into the Moon’s formation and evolution, and specifically its geologic and volcanic history. These orbital missions have identified more than 200 moon pits that could potentially lead to lava caves on the Moon while enabling future missions to explore the subsurface lunar environment. But what is the importance of exploring the subsurface lunar environment?
“From an exploration perspective, subsurface lava tubes are of incredible importance as they provide natural shelter for humans, protecting against harsh lunar conditions such as extreme temperature fluctuations, solar radiation, and micrometeorite impacts,” Dr. Mittelholz tells Universe Today. “These environments could serve as safe havens for long-duration missions, offering a potential foundation for sustainable lunar habitation. From a science perspective, the pits provide direct access to the Moon’s subsurface stratigraphy, potentially exposing pristine geological layers that have remained unaltered for billions of years. Studying these layers could yield critical insights into the Moon’s volcanic history, thermal evolution, and the broader processes that shaped the early solar system.”
How will LunarLeaper help scientists better understand the subsurface lunar environment in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Links:
LPSC Abstract - https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2025/pdf/1957.pdf
Dr. Anna Mittelholz Personal Website - https://www.annamittelholz.com/
LunarLeaper - https://www.lunarleaper.space/
