Exploring and characterizing high-priority locations on the lunar surface require improved mobility systems and the use of high-resolution mapping and imagery. The highest resolution images acquired from lunar orbit have been output by the Narrow-Angled Camera (NAC) on board of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Despite the NAC being capable of imaging at resolutions as low as 0.5 m/px, permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) have been mapped at a maximum resolution of 10-20 m/px due to the need for longer exposure times. Remote sensing from orbit has clear benefits when it comes to acquiring global measurements in a cost-effective manner. The data provided, however, is not of sufficient quality to pre-validate regions of interest for downstream scientific or commercial activities to follow.
![conops Lunar Reconnaissance Drone Concept of Operations](https://lunar.epfl.ch/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/conops.png)
We are studying the potential deployment of an autonomous, lightweight, compact, and reusable reconnaissance drone for the exploration, characterization and high-resolution mapping of particularly challenging and pristine locations on the lunar surface. This drone is being designed to assist other on-ground robotic assets operating on the surface into inaccessible environments (e.g., lunar skylights) and across unstructured and dynamic terrains (e.g., extreme topography locations and PSRs).
![moon_divider.v3 moon divider](https://lunar.epfl.ch/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/moon_divider.v3.png)
If you are an EPFL student interested in this subject, check our available Semester and Master's Projects for the upcoming semester.