A Review of Extra-Terrestrial Regolith Excavation Concepts and Prototypes

Abstract

Regolith is present on many extra-terrestrial bodies, and the crushed rock material it is made of contains many of the resources that are enabling for in situ resource utilization (ISRU). When extracted, these resources can be used to provide consumables such as rocket propellant, human life support, working fluids and gases for industrial processes, and feedstocks for manufacturing. In addition, the regolith can also be very beneficial for construction purposes as an aggregate which can be used for construction materials and shielding for radiation protection and micrometeorite impact. Binders for regolith concrete may also be made from geopolymers that may be in the regolith. The regolith can be melted and drawn out into glass fibers and used as reinforcements in a metal, polymer, or concrete matrix. In addition, there is tremendous scientific and geological knowledge that can only be obtained by studying samples of the regolith. However, none of these valuable activities can proceed without first acquiring the regolith granular material with some type of excavation device and method. Excavation is in the critical path of many workflows that will make up the capabilities required to establish a human and robotic presence in our solar system. While scientific in situ sampling of regolith in small quantities has been achieved since the dawn of the space age in the 1960s, large scale excavation for mining and construction on extra-terrestrial bodies has only been contemplated, for many decades, but serious development and prototyping of excavation technologies for use in reduced gravity space environments was only started in the late 1990s. This paper will review and document the evolution of extra-terrestrial excavation concepts and prototypes based on the available literature and the personal experience of the author who has been working on regolith excavation technology development since 1998.