Complementary Use of Laboratory and Spaceborne LIMS for Quantitative Chemical Analysis of Planetary Materials

Laser Ablation Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (LIMS) is widely applied for elemental and isotope analysis of solid materials, with applications ranging from geochemical characterisation to planetary exploration. Elemental compositions provide key constraints on grain size mineralogy, geological context, and potential astrobiological relevance (1, 2). Our compact LIMS system has been selected for flight within NASA’s Artemis Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme for in situ chemical analysis of lunar regolith at the lunar south pole (3). This compact flight instrument is optimised for robustness and low resource consumption, but naturally, its mass resolution is limited. High-performance laboratory instruments are therefore essential for interpreting spaceborne measurements and for establishing reliable reference datasets.

Measurements conducted using our space-prototype LIMS instrument were accompanied by parallel measurements on a high-resolution femtosecond LIMS system, the Laser Mass Spectrometer – Gran Turismo (LMS-GT) (4, 5) to establish a direct laboratory reference for spaceborne mass spectra. The high mass resolution of LMS-GT of up to 10’000 allows for the resolution of isobaric interferences and identification of polyatomic species that could contribute to unresolved peaks that might be observed using our compact LIMS system. Systematic deconvolution and interpretation of complex spectra is facilitated by a newly developed data analysis workflow that supports peak identification. This approach provides a quantitative framework for evaluating detection uncertainties and for assessing how molecular and polyatomic interferences influence apparent peak intensities in lower-resolution instruments.

The capabilities of LMS-GT for quantitative trace element analysis of dielectric reference materials were assessed using NIST SRM 610 silicate glass samples with ppm quantities of trace elements. All measurements were conducted on both gold-coated and uncoated NIST SRM 610 to evaluate the influence of surface charging on spectral stability, sensitivity, and reproducibility (6). While broadly comparable abundance trends are observed, uncoated measurements exhibit increased signal instability and reduced spectral quality due to surface charging, a known challenge for quantitative analysis of dielectric materials. The results demonstrate that laboratory scale (LMS-GT) and spaceborne LIMS systems form a complementary instrument pair, where high-resolution laboratory measurements enhance the scientific return of compact in situ instruments. This approach provides a valuable framework for mission support, data interpretation, and future applications to planetary exploration and sample return.

[1] A. Riedo, et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2021.726373
[2] R. E. Russo, et al., 2002, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-9140(02)00053a-X
[3] P. K. Schmidt, et al., 2025, https://doi.org/10.1109/AERO63441.2025.11068749
[4] M. Tulej, et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062562
[5] C. P. de Koning, et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2021.116662
[6] S. Gruchola, et al., 2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3JA00078H