LUNINA: In‑situ Navigation and Communication Infrastructure for Lunar Science

Introduction and heritage

LUNINA is a compact, durable, and location‑independent node that provides accurate navigation and communication services on the Moon. Based on the FMI led ESA’s MiniPINS/LINS project heritage, each LUNINA unit operates autonomously nominally with RHU‑assisted thermal control, solar power, and batteries. RTG-unit option is also available. Deployed individually or as a network, LUNINA nodes enables precise positioning, robust data relay, and continuous operations, enabling and supporting the scientific missions on Moon surface and orbital missions. 

Future Lunar science and missions requires dependable surface infrastructure for positioning and communication (data etc.). While future Lunar constellations will provide space segment navigation, surface users will face line‑of‑sight constraints, topographic shadowing etc. obstacles, and Lunar thermal extremes. LUNINA addresses these challenges with a drop‑and‑forget node that include navigation aid option and provides local data relay for science operations.

Figure: LUNINA nodes on the Lunar surface. Network of LUNINA's form an Earth-like mobile communication grid that supports both human and robotic Lunar exploration.

Surface operations that support the Lunar science

Accurate positioning supports the scientific operations, and it is required to achieve requirements posed by each Lunar mission goals. Nodes establish a resilient, low‑latency link between e.g. sensors/instruments, rovers, habitats, and orbiters. This LUNINA link capability and feature supports high efficiency measurements (e.g. done by multiple individual dust/plasma, thermal, environmental monitoring stations) and provides a 24/7 operating safety and communication channel for EVA operations as well. RHU‑assisted LUNINA thermal control maintains electronics safe through the Lunar night, reducing data loss and enabling long time‑series measurements and observations essential for understanding e.g. Lunar regolith thermophysics, exosphere variability, and electrostatic dust rising practically in all possible locations on Moon where at least some Sun light is present for solar panels. If node is equiped with optional RTG-unit providing the required power, then node is location-independent. In addition to this, strategic placement on hills or crater rims extends line‑of‑sight coverage into otherwise inaccessible terrain, complementing the Lunar Communications and Navigation Services (LCNS) space segment when available. We have identified following main science use cases for LUNINA:

• Geophysics: seismic science instrumentation as a piggy-back of LUNINA node. Delivery of the observation telemetry for crustal structure science and impact monitoring.
• Regolith and environment: LUNINA node assisting the thermal probes and permittivity sensors with nighttime power/thermal survivability in heat flow and volatile behaviour research.
• Dust–plasma interactions: electric field, plasma, and dust sensors included as a piggy-back at multiple LUNINA nodes to resolve charging and dust rising dynamics.
• Resources search and identification: navigation and data relay assist for mapping of the terrain that are in shadowed regions from Moon base and/or main lander.

Conclusions

LUNINA provides practically the nonstop navigation and communications base infrastructure that Lunar science needs and it is easy to scale with additional nodes. By enabling precise positioning, robust data relay, and night‑survivable operations, LUNINA contributes to the achieving of Lunar scientific benefits and results and supports both robotic and human Lunar exploration.