South Pole-Aitken basin sample Return and eXploration (SPARX) Science Definition Team Report

Sample return from the South Pole-Aitken basin on the Moon has been recognized as the highest-priority lunar science mission for well over two decades. It appeared as a recommended New Frontiers-class mission in the two previous Planetary Science Decadal Surveys, covering 2003-2012 and 2013-2022 (Visions and Voyages), and the 2023-2032 Origins, Worlds, and Life Decadal Survey prioritized it for NASA's Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program.

The South Pole-Aitken basin is described as the ideal target to test nearly 60 years of lunar science hypotheses because of a unique combination of its size, antiquity, and location on the lunar farside. NASA convened the SPARX team in response to the OWL Decadal Survey recommendations. The resulting report provides analysis on prioritized science objectives, measurement requirements, implementation architectures, and a design reference mission for a South Pole-Aitken basin sample return mission.

The mission profiles presented in the report leverage key advancements in remote surface exploration technology, the U.S. commercial space industry, and the programmatic focus on sustained human presence and exploration at the lunar south polar region.

The science objectives and measurements outlined in the report describe a mission that would transform lunar science and address multiple high-level Decadal science questions at the only place in the Solar System where they can be credibly addressed. It would also pioneer a new paradigm for planetary surface exploration in the 21st century, leverage the burgeoning space economy to pursue groundbreaking science on a more cost-efficient basis, and unite robotic exploration with human exploration in a model for a future sustained lunar enterprise.