CubeSat 3U-payload for in-situ resource utilisation demonstration at C-type near Earth asteroids

payloads capable of performing cost effective early stage in situ demonstrations of key steps for various types of ISRU. Such demonstrations would be proof-of-concept and de-risking exercises that would enable future pilot scale and eventually full-scaled implementations.This presentation will focus on a systems design for a 3U payload to demonstration at a C-type NEA the low temperature extraction of water and the subsequent electrolysis of this to dioxygen and dihydrogen. The system has the following features: sample acquisition via counter rotating brushes, extraction of volatile components via ovens with electrical resistive heating, trapping of condensable volatiles – primarily water, electrolysis of the trapped water into dioxygen and dihydrogen gas, and analysis of volatiles at various stages of the process with a miniaturised ion-trap mass-spectrometer. The baseline design allows for the collection and processing of 4 discrete samples using a carousel with 4 single use ovens. Each oven has a nominal internal volume of 7m3. Additionally the input assumptions concerning regolith properties, modelling studies and the development and implementation of a number of laboratory breadboards of various sub-systems will be presented.The design is intend to be compatible with use as part of a free-flying interplanetary 6U CubeSat, a 6U CubeSat hosted by and released by a larger parent spacecraft local to a NEA, or permanently hosted on a larger NEA surface rendezvous spacecraft.