The successful operation of the PITMS spectrometer confirms its prospects for expeditions to the Moon and other planets
The Peregrine mission had high hopes for scientific tasks, including studying the composition of the ultra-thin lunar atmosphere. However, the mission encountered unexpected difficulties immediately after spacewalk. A fuel leak on the lander became an obstacle to the continuation of the expedition.
Along with the module, the PITMS mass spectrometer, one of Peregrine's scientific instruments, returned to Earth after ten intense days in space, burning out upon re-entry over the Pacific Ocean. Experts from RAL Space, the Open University and the Goddard Space Flight Center developed this instrument, whose main task was to study the composition of the lunar atmosphere. This is an ambitious task, given that for many years the Moon was thought to have virtually no atmosphere.
Although PITMS failed to reach the Moon, the project team reported some positive results. Roland Trautner, project manager at ESA, said all of the instrument's systems worked flawlessly throughout the journey. «We are pleased to see that the data confirms the reliability of our instrument, its ability to withstand launch conditions and the rigors of space, and provide clean data», — he noted.
«We developed the spectrometer using a new approach to the project and met the deadline — in just two years, which is twice as fast as usual. The achievement of our instrument and its successful passage of orbit constitutes 90% of the success of our project», — said Christopher Howe, Group Manager for Manufacturing and Software at RAL Space.
The success of PITMS demonstrates the effective collaboration between space agencies, industry and academia. The short development period was made possible thanks to the trusting relationship between these structures.
The technology developed for PITMS will be used on future space missions, including the Rosalind Franklin rover, scheduled to launch in 2028.