1,2,2,- 1Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Space Engineering, Delft, Netherlands (b.c.root@tudelft.nl)
- 2Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) Institut für Satellitengeodäsie und Inertialsensorik, Hannover
- *A full list of authors appears at the end of the abstract
Mars was long thought to be in a quiescent state with minimal geodynamic processes taking place at present. However, NASA's InSight mission shed light on the planet's present-day tectonic activity, part of which is likely related to mantle plumes and associated magmatic that, in the recent past, might have contributed to building up the Martian atmosphere through mantle outgassing. We propose a dedicated gravimetric satellite mission for Mars: the Mars Quantum gravity sensing of Interior Structure and atmosphere mission (MaQuIS) to understand these intricate dynamic processes and use gravity observations to constrain the interior structure and geologic evolution of the red planet. The mission will enable us to decipher Mars' ongoing geodynamic activity, the structure of its lithosphere, as well as to probe for subsurface water reservoirs and to characterise the temporal dynamics of the atmosphere. MaQuIS follows a well-crafted mission scenario, inherited from the successful Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) missions deployed around Earth and the Moon, respectively. Compared to its predecessors, MaQuIS will include state-of-the-art quantum sensing technologies to improve the detection of fine variations in Mars' gravitational field and maximize the mission's scientific return. MaQuIS will contribute to the following main science objectives:
1. Uncover the evolution of Mars by studying interior dynamics, detailed structure and composition of the planet's lithosphere and deep mantle.
2. Capture Mars' climate history by monitoring the density of the planet's upper atmosphere and uncover the monthly, seasonal, and long-term changes.
3. Explore potential scenarios for the fate and sequestration pathways of Mars' surface liquid water.
These primary mission goals will have profound and long-lasting impacts on the study of Mars, shedding new light on Mars' geologic evolution and ongoing interior and atmosphere activity.
Activities are ongoing to increase the TRL-level of the instrument technology. Both improved systems for the main instruments are being developed. LRI link acquisition is being developed to improve the initialisation phases. Also, other laser frequencies are being looked at to be able to share laser sources for the LRI and CAI accelerometers. Improvements of the internal layout of the CAI instrumentation help in detecting bottlenecks in the new technology. Mission design studies are improving the understanding of the impact of certain orbit choices to the precission and coverage of the observations. Finally we will also present some preliminary CFD studies performed on the whole mission design, highlighting that the mission is technological feasible and will provide excellent data to improve our understanding of Mars.
Alexander Koch, DLR Hannover, Johann Max Rohr, DLR Hannover,Joshua Reeder, DLR Hannover,Hauke Hussmann, DLR Berlin,Ana-Catalina Plesa, DLR Berlin, Julia Maia, DLR Berlin, Adrien Broquet, DLR Berlin, Alexander Stark, DLR Berlin, Ernst Hauber, DLR Berlin, Marvin Bredlau, DLR Hannover, Albert Roura, DLR Ulm, John Lee Grenfell, DLR Berlin, Doris Breuer, DLR Berlin, Sevket Uludag, Delft University of Technology, Dominic Dirkx, Delft University of Technology, Stefano Speretta, Delft University of Technology, Laura ten Bloemendaal, Delft University of Technology, Sebastiaan de Vet, Delft University of Technology, Vidhya Pallichadath, Delft University of Technology, Sam Fayolle, Delft University of Technology, ESA Fellow, Jerome Loicq, Delft University of Technology, Joao Encarnacao, Delft University of Technology, Onur Celik, Delft University of Technology, Riva Alkahal, Delft University of Technology, Marc Rovira-Navarro, Delft University of Technology, Rudolf Saathof, Delft University of Technology, Ozgur Karatekin, Royal Observatory Brussels, Orkun Temel, Royal Observatory Brussels, Luca Ruiz Lozano, Royal Observatory Brussels, Birgit Ritter, Royal Observatory Brussels, Attilio Rivoldini, Royal Observatory Brussels, Federica Migliaccio, Politecnico di Milano, Mirko Reguzzoni, Politecnico di Milano, Lorenzo Rossi, Politecnico di Milano, Wolf von Klitzing, IESL-FORTH, Jürgen Müller, Leibniz University of Hannover, Mark Wieczorek, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, France, Antonio Genova, Sapienza UniRoma, Wim van Westrenen, Vrije University Amsterdam, Inge Loes ten Kate, Utrecht University, Douwe van Hinsbergen, Utrecht University, Arwen Deuss, Utrecht University, Anna Mittelholz, ETH-Zurich, Anton Ermakov, Stanford University, Mike Sori, Purdue University, Sheng-Wey Chiow, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, James Keane, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Isamu Matsuyama, University of Arizona, Kai Voss, SpaceTech-I, Vitali Müller, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Manuel Rodrigues, ONERA, Sergio Mottini, Thales Alenia Space - Italy
How to cite: Root, B., Wörner, L., and Weigelt, M. and the MaQuIS consortium: Research opportunities with MaQuIS - updates and continuation of a dedicated consortium, Europlanet Science Congress 2026, The Hague, The Netherlands, 7–11 Sep 2026, EPSC2026-815, https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2026-815, 2026.
