Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-27-2026

Department

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Abstract

Two challenges that have a permanent presence on the Moon are solar and cosmic radiation, as well as the large surface temperature variation between lunar day and night. To address these problems, we propose a lunar pathfinder mission concept that uses robotic systems to investigate whether regolith-filled bags can be used as a versatile construction medium for lunar surface structures and sensors to obtain data on the lunar regolith. The primary objectives of this mission are as follows: evaluation of the surface and subsurface regolith as fill material, lunar excavation using a robotic manipulator equipped with a bucket scoop, bag filling using a proposed robotic bagging system, the stacking of the filled bags with a robotic manipulator into a simple berm structure, and verification of the completed regolith-filled bag berm. Additional objectives include assessing the local radiation environment and testing Wi-Fi technology for use in and around a lunar surface station, such as the proposed Artemis Base Camp. Where possible, high TRL technologies are presented for each mission objective, which will be carried to the lunar surface on a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) lander. A novel regolith bagging system concept is presented. The feasibility of the overall mission concept is studied by investigating key mission parameters, which shows the presented technologies fulfill all mission parameters. Potential extended mission concepts that exercise increased levels of autonomy are also presented, which may provide additional data to inform the development of this technology for future, at-scale, deployment.

Publisher's Statement

Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace13030223

Publication Title

Aerospace

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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