Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA) for the Artemis First Landing Mission: Instrument Design and Operational Concept for In Situ Permittivity Measurements
- 1University of Tokyo
- 2Adelaide University
- 3Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Abstract
The Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA), selected for NASA’s Artemis first landing mission, will provide dedicated in situ measurements of dielectric permittivity in the lunar south polar region. We show that under cryogenic polar conditions, the permittivity contrast expected from realistic variations in bulk density is intrinsically reduced, such that uncertainties from sensor–regolith coupling, installation geometry, and calibration can equal or exceed the physical signal. The central contribution of this paper is a theory-driven Concept of Operations (ConOps) that treats operations as part of the measurement methodology. The crew-assisted workflow emphasizes visual screening for locally undisturbed fine regolith; iterative placement to secure intimate contact for both the microstrip line resonator (surface, at 1 GHz) and Vivaldi-type antennas (shallow subsurface, from 500 to 3000 MHz); calibration executed in vacuum immediately before final placement; and standardized pre- and postdeployment imaging to enable quantitative reconstruction of local geometry and disturbance, together with nearby regolith sampling to provide compositional ground truth for postmission interpretation and laboratory calibration. Operational use of the protective assembly provides a deployment workbench and configurable shielding for plume mitigation and illumination-context control. A nominal deployment distance of ∼150 m from the Human Landing System balances thermal-transition objectives with communication and plume constraints. The instrument supports a high-rate crewed phase via relay downlink and extended autonomous monitoring via solar-powered direct-to-Earth transmission during illuminated periods. We conclude that an explicitly designed ConOps is the enabling element that makes polar in situ permittivity measurements scientifically interpretable.
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BibTeX
@article{kobayashi2026lunar,
title = {{Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA) for the Artemis First Landing Mission: Instrument Design and Operational Concept for In Situ Permittivity Measurements}},
author = {Makito Kobayashi and Hideaki Miyamoto and Airi Toida and Yuta Sugihara and Hiroki Aida and Tomohiro Takemura and Yuta Shimizu and Tetsuo Yoshimitsu},
journal = {The Planetary Science Journal},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3847/psj/aeaff9},
url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/aeaff9},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA) for the Artemis First Landing Mission: Instrument Design and Operational Concept for In Situ Permittivity Measurements
AU - Makito Kobayashi
AU - Hideaki Miyamoto
AU - Airi Toida
AU - Yuta Sugihara
AU - Hiroki Aida
AU - Tomohiro Takemura
AU - Yuta Shimizu
AU - Tetsuo Yoshimitsu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - The Planetary Science Journal
DO - 10.3847/psj/aeaff9
UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/aeaff9
AB - The Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA), selected for NASA’s Artemis first landing mission, will provide dedicated in situ measurements of dielectric permittivity in the lunar south polar region. We show that under cryogenic polar conditions, the permittivity contrast expected from realistic variations in bulk density is intrinsically reduced, such that uncertainties from sensor–regolith coupling, installation geometry, and calibration can equal or exceed the physical signal. The central contribution of this paper is a theory-driven Concept of Operations (ConOps) that treats operations as part of the measurement methodology. The crew-assisted workflow emphasizes visual screening for locally undisturbed fine regolith; iterative placement to secure intimate contact for both the microstrip line resonator (surface, at 1 GHz) and Vivaldi-type antennas (shallow subsurface, from 500 to 3000 MHz); calibration executed in vacuum immediately before final placement; and standardized pre- and postdeployment imaging to enable quantitative reconstruction of local geometry and disturbance, together with nearby regolith sampling to provide compositional ground truth for postmission interpretation and laboratory calibration. Operational use of the protective assembly provides a deployment workbench and configurable shielding for plume mitigation and illumination-context control. A nominal deployment distance of ∼150 m from the Human Landing System balances thermal-transition objectives with communication and plume constraints. The instrument supports a high-rate crewed phase via relay downlink and extended autonomous monitoring via solar-powered direct-to-Earth transmission during illuminated periods. We conclude that an explicitly designed ConOps is the enabling element that makes polar in situ permittivity measurements scientifically interpretable.
SN - 2632-3338
ER -