It is expected that the moon has “resources” such as water and metals. In this project, we use terahertz waves, which are one type of electromagnetic wave, to estimate the location of useful substances such as water. We will create a map of the resources buried 30 cm underground, which are easily mined by humans, and promote the development of space resources ahead of the rest of the world.
What is TSUKIMI
We aim to measure ice and soil water content from the brightness temperature observed by a wide-area lunar surface exploration with a terahertz wave sensor. We are creating a database on the behavior of rocks in the terahertz band, conducting research and development on data analysis algorithms, and developing multi-frequency channel terahertz wave sensors that are resistant to space environments.
Creating an industry-government-academia consortium, we will be able to integrate technology and knowledge, develop a system that can be operated in space, and realize lunar water resource exploration. The TSUKIMI project (Lunar Terahertz SUrveyor for KIlometer-scale MappIng) will lead planetary exploration such as not only the earth's moon, which is currently attracting attention from all over the world for economic use, but also Mars.
NEWS:
15. 12. 2022 S-Booster
https://s-booster.jp/en/2022/finalround.html
We won the Special Judges’ Prize!!
Reference:
TSUKIMIミッション公式HP
総務省主導の月資源探査計画、「テラヘルツ波を用いた月面の広域な水エネルギー資源探査」
1 総務省資料「テラヘルツ波を用いた月面の広域な水エネルギー資源探査基本計画書」
2 総務省資料「令和3年度情報通信技術の研究開発に係る提案の公募」の結果
