The	Lunar Water Assessment, Transport,

Evolution, and Resource (WATER) Small

Satellite Mission Concept

C.A. Hibbitts1, D. Blewett1,	P. Brandt1,	L. Burke2,	B. Clyde1,	B. Cohen3,	

J. Dankanich4,	D. Hurley1,	R. Klima1,	D. Lawrence1,	A. Mirantes1,	D.

Moessner1,	W. Patterson1,	J. Plescia1,	J. Sunshine5,	J. Westlake1

1JHU-APL,	2NASA GRC,	3NASA GSFC,	4NASA MSFC,	5Univ. of Md.

karl.hibbitts@jhuapl.edu
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SMD & HEOMD Priorities 

UNCLASSIFIED 

The 2013 – 2022 NRC Decadal Survey: Lunar Resources “Understand the composition of distribution of volatile chemical 

compounds” and several “Important Questions”: 

1. “How are volatile elements and compounds distributed, transported, and 

sequestered in near-surface environments on the surfaces of the Moon 

and Mercury?” 

2. “What fractions of volatiles were outgassed from those planets’ interiors, 

and what fractions represent late meteoritic and cometary infall?” 

Lunar Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKGs) related to Lunar resources 

• 1C. Regolith 2: Quality / quantity / distribution / form of H species and other volatiles in nonpolar mare and 

highlands regolith. 

• 1D. Polar Resources 6: Composition, form and distribution of polar volatiles. 

• 1D. Polar Resources 7: Temporal variability and movement dynamics of surface-correlated OH and H2O 

deposits towards PSR retention. 

• 1E Composition / volume / distribution / form of pyroclastics / dark mantle deposits and characteristics of 

associated volatiles. 

2 
 

 

Science Objectives 

Sources 

(solar wind, micrometeorites,.... 

UNCLASSIFIED 

Evaluate mission, payload and CONOPS feasible 

with a small Lunar orbiter to characterize the 

water on the Moon. 

Science Objectives: 

1. What are the chemical form(s) of water on the Moon, 

including the PSRs, and how are they distributed spatially? & 

Sinks 

PSRs, exospheric escape, ,.... 

2. How does surficial lunar water evolve over space and time? 

3. Is solar wind implantation responsible for the OH on the 

illuminated Moon? 

3 

Pieters et al., 2009 Lawrence et al., 2006 
	 	

	 	

Mission Concept 

Notional Mission Schedule: 

Project Phase A - D: 3 yr 

Transit GTO to Lunar Orbit ~ 3 mo 

Transition to low periapsis: ~ 2 mo 

Science Ops: 6 mo 

Phase A – E Duration: 4 yrs 

Component Mass	(kg) Power (W)

Spacecraft Bus (dry) 100

Propulsion	(Solid	Iodine) 55 800 

Solar panels (8 m2

),	C60 15 960

Instruments 30 50	(peak)

TOTAL 200kg	+	reserves

4 
Spacecraft 

UNCLASSIFIED 

3-axis stabilized with Solar-electric propulsion instruments on nadir 

facing deck 

5 
 

 

 

 

	 	 	

	 	

Mission Trajectory 

15 km x 1000 km Polar LLO 

(Perilune over S. Pole) 

GEO to Weakly Captured 

Lunar Orbit = 177 days 

Spiral-In: 48 days 

GTO 

coast 

burn 

Orbit Phase ΔV	(m/s)

GTO to weakly

captured lunar orbit

3251

Lunar spiral-in 1161

201 days 

thrusting 

24 days 

coasting 

Altitude maintenance 8

Argument of perilune 247

maintenance

Total 4667
 

Instruments 

UNCLASSIFIED 

Mapping Surficial Water and Hydroxyl Mapping Near-Surface Polar Hydrogen 

MIMSI WattIR NS 

Mid-Infrared Multi-Spectral Imager Active Multiband IR Reflectometer 

7 

Neutron Spectrometer 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Concept of Operations 

Orbit: 

2.65 hours period 

1000km apoapsis over NP 

~ 15 km periapsis over SP 

90o inclination, with an argument of periapsis within 5o of SP 

Eclipse: Lunar < 50 min. Earth&Lunar combo: < 3.75 hours 

Science Operations: 

~ 1Gbit/orbit 

NS: polar science within 15o of SP, which is < 25 km altitude. 

Always on for background measurements 

WattIR: operates within 5o of SP 

MIMSI: operates over illuminated terrain when nadir facing.