A petrological and spectral characterisation of the NU-LHT-2M lunar highlands regolith simulant in preparation for the PROSPECT test campaign

Abstract

In preparation for the upcoming Luna 27 mission to the south polar region of the Moon, the Package for Resource Observation and in-Situ Prospecting for Exploration Commercial exploitation and Transportation (PROSPECT) is undergoing a series of tests to ensure its suitability for polar regolith and volatile analysis. A lunar regolith simulant, NU-LHT-2M, was used for geotechnical validation and volatile extraction testing. Therefore, the physical, chemical/mineralogical, and spectral properties of separate batches of this simulant have been characterised to better understand the results of the instrument laboratory testing phase. Here we compare measurements from two different batches of the simulant to Apollo bulk regolith samples in order to understand the suitability and representativeness of the simulant to the properties of surface highlands regolith. Based on our measurements, we recommend that the physical, mineralogical, and spectral properties of simulants be analysed both before and after space instrument testing campaigns. These bookended measurements would allow for a more detailed understanding of the test phase, including: how the simulants have been altered by the test and, therefore, how the lunar surface may be affected by mission extraction and sampling processes.