Giulio Prisco

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

To build sustainable momentum toward the Luna City vision, I think we need a relatively simple and cheap first Moon mission.

A lunar cubesat (I am using the term in the small and cheap satellite sense) to study candidate locations for outposts and settlements would be a good first mission.

This mission is doable within realistic time and budget, but ambitious enough to establish SC/SD as a player and motivate space enthusiasts to participate.

I have considerable experience in (Earth) observation sats and can help out.

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Derek Barrett

Technical Architect

Agree 100% and cube sats have also been on my mind, start small and get an achievable victory that can be built on. Lower cost, lower risk, and a great use case you presented with mapping.

Great team building goal.

Giulio Prisco

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

Thanks Derek. Let's do this then? I think we can put together a good project plan in a few months.

This is a good role model with a simple practical goal and a realistic budget:
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/features/surrey%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98ice-mapper%E2%80%99-space-mission-could-throw-light-moon%E2%80%99s-resources

There are many other lunar cubesat projects to take inspiration from.

We can and should build visionary plans for Luna City, but I think we'll be taken seriously only if we can also say that we are actually building hardware that will orbit the Moon and do useful things.

Derek Barrett

Technical Architect

Sounds awesome. I can start putting something together if that is okay.

Does the team have a project management type of format that we use already? I usually create project plans into phases like: Discovery, Blueprinting, Testing, Preparation, Go-Live, Post Go live.

Jason Aspiotis

Financial Entrepreneur & Space Systems Engineer

Good plan guys. I would also add that a cubesat for the sake of a cubesat is probably less likely to get funded. There's plenty of cubesats on their way to the Moon in the next few years, mostly focused on Lunar resources and environment characterization. I made a list on the team's Google Drive called Lunar Mission Tracker.

What if this SD cubesat concept was also a tech demonstration towards a Lunar Positioning System? Checkout this paper: http://www.r2labs.org/pubs/armani_batista__lunar_gps_worldcomp_2012_Final.pdf

Patrick A.U.R. Donovan

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

Great point and paper. A mission like this can integrate with both site selection for Luna City and offer a useful service to other entities operating on or near the Moon.

Giulio Prisco

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

Good point Jason, and good paper. If this mission (a tech demonstrator toward a lunar GPS) is not taken yet, it would make a lot of sense for us to do it. Every lunar project will need accurate positioning services.

Giulio Prisco

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

Continued: A tech demonstrator toward a lunar GPS would be a great achievement in itself, and a great way to put SD on the map and gather support. But then, if we could fund, build and deploy the real thing (an operational GPS constellation for the Moon), the peoject would make also financial sense, because access to positioning signals could be sold to all operator of lunar projects (e.g. prospecting, mining, building, operations atc.)

Craig Beasley

Outbound - We Live And Work In Space

A thought: We could build the Lunavsat constellation with a primary and secondary mission set.

Primary Mission: Lunar GPS navigation. Provide navagational aid to lunar travel.

Secondary Mission: Selenological Assay. What would be one, or maybe two, things we may want to find in on the surface or near the surface that would be of use on Luna City operations? Imagine something like the Landsat system, though very specialized in what it's looking for.

Giulio Prisco

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

I would prefer to keep the mission objective as simple as possible (I tend to think if something can't be explained to an idiot in one minute is too complex), but of course, IF there is extra room (+power etc.) on the satellite, we could have also a secondary mission.
As you say, something very specialized in what it's looking for.
Now; WHAT is it looking for?

Craig Beasley

Outbound - We Live And Work In Space

Honestly, the what could be a couple of things. Water in some form is one thing, or a particular structural mineral, such as iron.

My thought was that the primary function of the GPS would be to enable navigational ease, but with the secondary mission, the GPS would pinpoint the resource for easier extraction.

The addition complexity would not be there just to show off or something, but it would have a background task to perform while it provided nav data to Lunar inhabitants and others needing ranging data.

Jason Aspiotis

Financial Entrepreneur & Space Systems Engineer

Craig, I agree that more utility is attractive to the end biz model. The prospecting/assaying of Lunar resouorces is certainly of great utility. I do think this is a crowded Space (mind the pun) - a lot of agency, university and commercial enterprises are building up towards doing this exact thing: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SFpXtnfcJqH9P1FAByvey8qgeLaQsC5W6pa_95_W_EY

My recommendation: emphasize in the LUNAVSAT architecture and ops/biz model how we are enabling higher fidelity Lunar prospecting by eliminating the uncertainty in positioning. You'd be surprised how much data currently exists from prior Lunar missions (LRO etc.) but with no way to interllate them because there's no absolute referencing!! LUNAVSAT can change that.

Giulio Prisco

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

Yes. In fact this is a pick-and-shovel business. There will be (I hope) all sorts of lunar projects at different locations and with different objectives, but all will need accurate positioning data.

Giulio Prisco

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

Continued: LUNAVSAT (Lunar Navigation Satellites) would be a good project name. Doesn't seem anyone is using it atm.

Jason Aspiotis

Financial Entrepreneur & Space Systems Engineer

Love the name LUNAVSAT. I checked for the domain www.Lunavsat.space - it is available for $2 from GoDaddy. I suggest one of us grabs it. I can do it through my GoDaddy account. But if SD has an account, that could work too.

I'd be down for a focus-team idea exploration call soon. Gotta start with the basics:
- What is the concept (technical architecture)
- Ops / biz model
- How do we get it funded?
- Project timeline
- If we get funding, how/where do we build it?

Derek Barrett

Technical Architect

Awesome job team. I took all the comments and threw them into a post below.

Feel free to add or correct anything.

I would say go grab that domain if you already have an account.

I think we can use your mission tracker as a valuable resource for reaching out to potential partners.

Giulio Prisco

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

I grabbed lunavsat.com before it goes.

I think the project should:

Have a VERY ambitious long-term vision: A constellation of navigation satellites able to deliver sub-meter positioning information to a receiver anywhere on the Moon's surface.
Have a VERY realistic first deliverable: Just a few (2-4) cheap cubesats plus receivers for a tech demonstrator in partnership with a lunar rover project.

Business model: selling access to data (decryption key).

Jason Aspiotis

Financial Entrepreneur & Space Systems Engineer

I just grabed LUNAVSAT.space as well. Was just $2.

Derek Barrett

Technical Architect

PROJECT LUNAVSAT

Mission goal - Establish a Lunar Navigation Satellite Network (LSN/GPS)

DISCOVERY

Mission objectives - How will we get there? In house or work with partners?

How do we fund the mission?
What is the business model (revenue)?
Team building - What are roles and responsibilities?
- Project management
- Administrative
- Financial/fundraising
- Technical
- Domain Experts
  - Procurement and buildout
  - Launch
  - Mission Control
- Publicity and Marketing
Team Building - identify missing resources
What is the expected lifetime of the satellites?
Do we need backup launches are needed in case of any problems?
How big can the solution scale?
What partners can deliver?
- Vet many but decide on 3 finalists

BLUEPRINTING

Mission objectives become well defined milestones
Milestones assigned to team
Delivery dates assigned to the team
Clearly defined roles for the team vs. the vendors
Quiet time - No marketing
Recruit any missing staffing resources

BUILDOUT

Team procures equipment and accomplishes milestones towards a successful launch
TESTING - Are simulations feasible? Can we get data from other similar launches by the same vendor from other projects in order to assess risk and success rate?
Quiet time - No marketing

PREPARATION

All buildout should be completed by this phase
Launch dates confirmed
Safety Checks
Go-no go decision
- Risk assessment/readyness report
Fall back dates in case of delayed launches
Publicity and marketing

GO LIVE

---LAUNCH--- !
Journey to the moon
Arrival in Orbit
Data Collection Begins
Publicity and marketing

POST GO LIVE SUPPORT

Ongoing data collection
Data analysis
Ongoing Mission control monitoring
Publicity and marketing
Sales team to onboard new customers

POST MORTEM

Lessons learned
Data Analysis will provide pointers to next steps
Publicity and marketing

Giulio Prisco

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

Very cool Derek, thanks. I think at this model we should focus on overall concept (tech/operations) and team building. The high level business model is simple: selling access (decryption keys) to data. For a detailed business model we need to know in detail who will do what on the Moon over the next 10-20 years.

Giulio Prisco

Co-Founder, Space Cooperative

I created a new LUNAVSAT discussion thread here:
https://spacedecentral.net/forum/posts/lunavsat-lunar-navigation-satellite-network

Andrew Gonzales

Senior Mission Design Systems Engineer - retired from NASA

The initial focus of human activity on the moon will likely be at the poles and on the farside to work below the Gateway. Infrastructure orbiting L2, like the Gateway, should be emplaced first. Recent activity in space communications satellites and cubesats should be leveraged.

A simple and cheap first Moon mission: Lunar cubesat

Responses

PROJECT LUNAVSAT

DISCOVERY

BLUEPRINTING

BUILDOUT

PREPARATION

GO LIVE

POST GO LIVE SUPPORT

POST MORTEM

A simple and cheap first Moon mission: Lunar cubesat

Responses

PROJECT LUNAVSAT

DISCOVERY

BLUEPRINTING

BUILDOUT

PREPARATION

GO LIVE

POST GO LIVE SUPPORT

POST MORTEM

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