Jared Long-Fox, H. Campins, D. T. Britt
The everlasting curiosity that humans have always had about the Moon combined with the innate drive to invent and explore our world and beyond has resulted in the development of technologies to enable investigations the Moon from Earth, from space, and from the lunar surface itself. Lunar in situ and remote sensing research have utilized various sensors and tools to perform scientific inquiries into the geologic history as well as the chemical and physical properties of the Moon to inform on Earth and solar system history. The specific sensors, tools, and modes of study (e.g., remote sensing or direct interaction) depend on the science investigations and technology development/demonstration goals, and recent interests in creating a permanent robotic and human presence on the lunar surface are generating new scientific questions, expanded exploration capabilities, and technology needs. This review of post-Space Race scientific lunar surface exploration and resource utilization technologies includes 1) an overview of lunar materials that will be leveraged to enhance exploration and resource utilization capabilities; 2) past, present, and in-development orbital remote sensing and surface-based mapping, resource prospecting, and surface/regolith characterization technologies; 3) regolith acquisition and transport technologies; 4) regolith processing equipment; 5) oxygen, metal, and volatile (e.g., water) extraction processes; 6) technologies and processes for lunar manufacturing for infrastructure development to enable humanity to become a space-faring civilization. Gaps in regolith-focused exploration and resource utilization technologies are identified and recommendations for future developments are made based on these identified gaps.