Proof of Mars Hopper Concept Technologies was an eight-month study funded by ESA’s General Studies Programme from ECSAT in Harwell. The study has focussed on increasing the TRL of key technologies required for the Mars Hopper concept, which were:
- In Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) subsystem to collect and store CO2 from the atmosphere and deliver it to the propulsion system. Locally generated propellant doe snot require transportation to Mars providing a huge mass saving
- Thermal, Power and Propulsion subsystem that provides constant electrical energy to the platform and the thermal rocket engine. Special thermal technologies are also considered to handle large amounts of heat generated
- Landing subsystem. The platform must make repeated landings, a requirement new to Mars platform landing gear.
The Mars Hopper vehicle served as a medium for a consistent set of ISRU, thermal, power and propulsion and landing system technologies to be developed in an aligned and consistent manner. However their application to the wider exploration and space domain was an important factor considered in parallel, and possibilities for terrestrial spin out for developed subsystem technologies and concepts were also considered