The message of the modern space age is clear. There are multiple space agencies that plan to send crewed missions to lunar surface. There are also many commercial entities that have contracted them to help them. And there are proposals for lunar bases. We intend to stay this time! This is just like the Apollo Era's efforts. It involves many challenges that will require our best energies and skills.
These problems are leading to innovative solutions that recognize the need for lunar resources to protect the environment and meet the needs of people. The International Space University (ISU), has a new way of doing this. Their idea? SpaceX Starship Human Landing System HLS (SpaceX Starship Human Landing System) can be used as the foundation of a lunar base.
This proposal was created by a group of scientists and universities from Europe. They are all currently attending the International Space Univerity in Strasbourg, France. This proposal was also presented at the 72nd International Astronautical Congress in Dubai (October 25th to 29th 2021). It is the subject both of a proposal paper (as well an official report) and an executive summary.
Illustration of SpaceX Starship, the human lander designed by SpaceX that will transport the first NASA astronauts onto the Moon's surface under the Artemis program. SpaceX
This project, Solutions for Construction of a Lunar Base was created as part of the ISUs 2021 Space Studies Program. It took nine weeks to complete. The professional development course is open to postgraduate students and professionals from all disciplines. It includes a curriculum that covers policy, law and business as well as life sciences, engineering and physical sciences.
The design of the SpaceX Lunar Starship was considered by the team as a starting point. It was submitted to NASA in a competition to develop a Human Landing System for the Artemis Program. This vehicle is basically a modified Starship reusable space vehicle Elon Musk plans to use (alongside the Super Heavy booster rocket). It will be used to fly regular missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
The Lunar Starship, like SpaceX's Starship/Super Heavy launch system is fully reusable. SpaceX's lunar mission architecture calls for fuel depots to be created on the Moon to allow the Starship to return to Earth. The ISU team suggests that they use the Starships' hull as their foundation.
Charlotte Pouwels is a physicist and researcher at Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands. She is also a member the ISUs 2022 Master in Space Studies (MSS2022). Her team was inspired to develop a concept that would allow for the construction of permanent lunar infrastructure at a rapid pace and with minimal cost. This would also enable crews to deal with the unique challenges of living in lunar environments.
The ESA lunar base shows its location in the Shackleton Crator. Credit: SOM/ESA
She said that to establish a lunar outpost, humans must have the necessary provisions and equipment to survive and to stay healthy for the duration of the rescue mission. It would take approximately three days if you are coming from Earth, and 7-11 days if you are coming from Gateway. All communications and life support systems should be redundant and reliable. Starship addresses the following issues: Crew health, safety, communication and energy.
It is planned to use the Starships HLS, also known as SS Rosas, as a habitable volume (Rosas Base) for astronauts and construction crews. These crews will be able to live in the habitats for up to three months, while they build the infrastructure with robotic assistance for permanent human presence. Pouwels says that the proposal's main benefit is that astronauts can bring their habitats and other supplies with them.
If enough supplies are delivered to the outpost, these challenges can be overcome. Our solution uses the SpaceX Starship Human Landing System, a state-of the-art transport vehicle currently under development. We plan to make use of the vehicle's extraordinary capabilities and its huge size to transport space-proven life-support and mission critical systems with redundancy, spare parts and redundancy. This research is unique because it doesn't require any theoretical or unproven concepts or systems. This habitat could be operational in five years if the Starship is successful.
Side-by-side view of Starship HLS Base, showing all the features. Credit: SSP21
One crewed Starship (SS 501) will fly to the Moon, while the other will be used for supplies (SS Rosas). The MOdular RObotic construction autonomous system (MOROCAS), which will transform the Starships into a horizontal configuration, will deploy a series remotely controlled robots. The astronauts will convert the interior into habitable volumes and add multi-layer insulation to (MLI) before deploying all necessary operations equipment. The robots will also cover the base with a protective layer made of regolith.
Pouwels stated that the main challenge in our design was to get the vehicle into a horizontal position. The Starship can't support its structure being horizontal on Earth, but the 1/6th gravity as well as the high pressure difference will help maintain the vehicle's shape. The habitat can have additional supports installed within it if the regolith below the vehicle is not sufficient.
The proposed Rosas Base layout (shown above), is a habitat that was established on the rim the Shackleton Crater, which is located in the Moons South Pole - Aitken Basin. To protect the base from radiation and micrometeorite impacts, a 5 m (16.4 feet) layer of regolith will cover it. The nose hatch and airlocks will remain exposed to allow access to the interior. One of these airlocks can be converted into an observation deck.
This observation deck, which is located around the Shackleton crater, will provide a permanent view over the Earth from the lunar horizon. A node can be added around the nose hatch to expand the base, allowing crews to mating in different habitats. The interior will be divided into 3 levels, which spans the length of the vehicle including sections previously occupied with methane or oxygen tanks.
The timeline that led to the creation of Starship HLS lunar base. Credit: SSP21
Pouwels said that while this means the vehicle cannot fly again, it can reuse the entire structure to create a long-term habitat. The habitat is nearly 2500 m3 (2.5 times that of the ISS). It only uses the vehicle, which means the payload can be used to support redundant life support systems. The crew will be protected from radiation and micrometeorite impacts by covering the vehicle with 5m regolith. This is the simplest ISRU.
The base will be equipped with all the necessary amenities to deal effectively with lunar hazards once it is complete. The astronauts' exposure to radiation will be limited to 2.5 Sieverts (Sv) per male astronaut and 1.75 Sv per female astronaut by the hull, MLI and regolith layers. The astronauts will be restricted to Lunar Extravehicular Activity (LEVAs) of six hours per day. They also have to follow a strict exercise program that includes resistance training and high-intensity interval training.
The proposal for Rosas Base is just one part of a wider constellation of ideas about a Moon-to Mars mission architecture. These missions were in the planning stages since the mid 2000s. They are part of NASA's and other agencies' plans to make the next big steps in order to ensure humanity's future in space. Pouwel says that each of these plans requires a permanent lunar base.
This project is ahead by using Starship in its current development, but not relying upon any yet-to be-proven technologies. This concept of a lunar base is easily expandable due to the mass-production and reusability of Starship. Many habitats can link together to form a lunar city. This concept has the basic goal to generate potential revenue or benefits for the base in the near-future.
The astronauts will be following a strict schedule once the Rosas Base has been established. This is to ensure their health and productivity. Credit: SSP21
Pouwels and her coworkers hope that the idea will be attractive to potential investors based on the many applications it could receive in the near future. They hope that, once the first vision of a lunar outpost has been realized, it will be possible to create many more. They are absolutely correct in this. There will be many opportunities for investment, expansion, research and commercialization once humans have established a foothold in the Moon.
It will then be possible to send missions into deep space to Mars or other places. The dream of being an interplanetary species is possible once we have a foothold on them.
Additional Reading: Report, Website, Paper
