In this report we document the development and deployment of an individual hopper intended as a precursor survery mission for planetary exploration.

 This study investigated the semi-autonomous exploration of a lunar skylight cavity.

During this activity, we were able to evaluate our electrochemical system with respect to: (i) silicon anode fabricated at an industrial scale equipment, (ii) pouch cells that were manufactured at different suppliers and tested by Airbus Defence and Space, and (iii) safety protocols.

In addition, we showed that standard graphitic-based chemistry cannot operate at low temperatures. Finally, we evaluated the Cost of Ownership of our products.

Human exploratory missions to the Moon or Mars are widely considered as the next logical steps in human space exploration and, lately, settlement. Such space exploration or settlement activities involve humans spending long periods of time in space and, with increasing distance from Earth, no abort possibilities. Crews on such missions have to be self- sufficient, not only concerning food, drink and waste, but also with respect to medical treatment. Health issues are raised by the environmental conditions in space, such as the influence of altered gravity, radiation and isolation.

The scope of this study was to investigate the possibility of designing a wireless power transfer system from the lander to the rover, based on laser technology, to:

• Avoid the use of nuclear power systems, such as the plutonium Multi Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) accommodated onboard the NASA/JPL MSL Curiosity Rover, due to the constraints imposed by the use of radioactive materials

The ISRU-DM mission aims to perform the first demonstration of ISRU on the Moon, via the production of water or oxygen from raw lunar material (i.e. regolith, ice etc.) At Agency-level a phase-0 level study was also performed to understand the technical and programmatic feasibility of undertaking the ISRU-DM mission via the provision of commercial services from industry.

Several hundred mission scenarios were analysed with a high level of detail both at mission analysis and mass budget level, to properly identify robust and feasible solutions. Three of them make use of both staging and aero-braking to reduce the spacecraft wet mass (mass with fuel), and they all rely either on chemical propulsion or on a mixed system combining a chemical engine with two very powerful electrical thrusters (ARM engines).

The International Space Station (ISS) is slowly approaching the end of its mission. The European Space Agency (ESA) and its international partners are considering new mission targets for the future of human space exploration in the post-ISS era. Highest ranked on the list of potential targets are a return to the Moon, Near-Earth Objects or asteroids, the moons of Mars (Phobos, Deimos) and, as the ultimate target, the surface of Mars.

Global plans for exploratory missions aim at extending the distances travelled by humans well beyond low Earth orbit and establishing permanent bases on the surface of Moon and Mars [1]. This will inevitably lead to increasing mission duration, radiation intensity, gravity levels and degree of confinement and isolation to which the crews will be exposed. In this extended space mission context, the astronauts should have the means to collect medical/physiological data in order to understand if their physiological conditions are in nominal levels.

The activities carried out in the phase 0 deal with the mission concept and, in particular, with the interplanetary analysis and contributions to the mission requirements. The activities can be summarized as follows:
- study of the state of the art of Mars landers, with focus on issues such as the launcher, the interplanetary trajectory, the type of planetary approach, the design of the spacecraft, the layout, the mass and power budgets, the aerodynamic parameters, the entry, descent & landing strategy;