The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploration of New Terrains (TRIDENT); a One-Meter Drill for the Lunar Resource Prospector Mission

A desire to prospect for resources on the Moon, namely water, has led to the development of The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploration of New Terrains (TRIDENT) drilling system. TRIDENT is a 16-kg rotary percussive drill and deployment system that was designed to be deployed from a roving platform and drill to a depth of 1 meter. Designs and testing supported by the Resource Prospector (RP) mission have enabled the TRIDENT system to reach a NASA TRL of 6. Through the development of this system, many lessons were learned. These include lessons learned for cable/pulley and capstan mechanisms, custom slip-ring designs, instrumentation of temperature sensors for measuring subsurface temperatures, sample transfer mechanisms, brazing tungsten carbide to titanium, and the replacement of the drill’s cable harness with flexible printed circuits. This summary highlights some of the major lessons learned along with recommended designs and tests to improve the design of the TRIDENT.