Okayama University of Science (OUS) has joined a technology development project selected under the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Space Strategy Fund (Phase II). The project, titled “Development of a Flight Model for a Water and Metallic Element Exploration Instrument and In Situ Measurement of Lunar Resources,” is led by the University of Tokyo, with OUS participating as a collaborating institution. OUS signed a subcontract agreement with the University of Tokyo on February 10, 2026.
 
As part of the U.S.-led Artemis program and related international initiatives, countries around the world are planning sustained exploration activities aimed at establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon. One of the most significant challenges in building lunar infrastructure is the high cost of transporting materials from Earth. Addressing this challenge requires the development of technologies capable of utilizing resources available on the lunar surface, including water and metallic elements.
 
This project will develop an observation instrument capable of measuring, directly on the lunar surface, the concentration and mineral composition of elements expected to serve as lunar resources. The initiative includes technological demonstration of lunar resource exploration and the acquisition of in situ resource data.
 
The instrument integrates four key components:
 

1. A wide-field spectroscopic camera
2. A neutron and gamma-ray sensor
3. A laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system
4. A microscopic spectroscopic camera

 By combining these technologies, the project aims not only to detect resource elements and estimate their concentration and total abundance, but also to determine how and in which minerals those elements occur. The overall exploration workflow using these four instruments is illustrated in Figure 1
 
In addition to resource exploration, the instrument is expected to contribute to the collection of environmental data essential for future human lunar missions and lunar base construction, including geological and soil properties as well as radiation conditions on the Moon.
 
From OUS, Associate Professor Takafumi Niihara of the Department of Applied Science, Faculty of Science, will participate in the project. He will analyze lunar meteorites and terrestrial rock samples to provide reference data to the instrument development team.



The exploration procedure leveraging the characteristics of the four instruments includes:
 

1. Wide-area resource mapping and identification of resource-rich zones using the wide-field spectroscopic camera
2. Evaluation of elemental concentrations from the surface to a depth of approximately one meter using the neutron and gamma-ray sensor and LIBS.
3. Determination of the mineralogical occurrence of resources using the microscopic spectroscopic camera