The UK is proposing to its European Space Agency partners a lunar orbiter that drops penetrators on to the Moon's surface and a lander to carry out in-situ geological dating.
The two missions, using technologies in which the UK claims leadership, are the results of a study funded by the country's Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC).
The lander, called Moonraker, would also help ESA develop a soft landing capability with retro-rockets. The orbiter, called MoonLITE, would have four penetrators. Each penetrator would be dropped at a different location, but two could be at the south pole and on the Moon's far side, impacting at 59,000ft/min (300m/s).
"The UK has completed [this] feasibility study of two robotic mission options to the surface of the Moon, focused on exploiting the UK's leadership in small satellites and miniaturised science instruments," says PPARC's space science director David Parker.
The penetrators could also be used for missions to Jupiter's ice-covered Europa, which is believed to have a sea under its surface. An exploration working group set up by PPARC is to review worldwide plans for Moon and Mars missions.
Source: Flight International
