High-resolution mass spectrometry for future space missions: Comparative analysis of complex organic matter with LAb-CosmOrbitrap and laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance

Mass spectrometers are regularly boarded on spacecraft for the exploration of the Solar System. A better understanding of the origin, distribution and evolution of organic matter and its relationships with inorganic matter in different extra‐terrestrial environments requires the development of innovative space tools, described as Ultra High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHRMS) instruments. Analyses of a complex organic material simulating extraterrestrial matter (Titan's tholins) are performed with a homemade space‐designed OrbitrapTM equipped with a laser ablation ionization source at 266 nm: the LAb‐CosmOrbitrap. Mass spectra are obtained using only one laser shot and transient duration of 838 ms. A comparison is made on the same sample with a laboratory benchmark mass spectrometer: a Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance equipped with a laser desorption ionization at 355 nm (LDI‐FTICR) allowing accumulation of 20,000 laser shots. Mass spectra and attributions of molecular formulae based on the peaks detected by both techniques show significant similarities. Detection and identification of the same species are validated. The formation of clusters ions with the LAb‐CosmOrbitrap is also presented. This specific feature brings informative and unusual indirect detections about the chemical compounds constituting Titan's tholins. In particular, the detection of HCN confirms previous results obtained with laboratory Electrospray Ionization (ESI)‐UHRMS studies about the understanding of polymeric patterns for the formation of tholins. Capabilities of the LAb‐CosmOrbitrap to decipher complex organic mixtures using single laser shot and a short transient are highlighted. In agreement with results provided by a commercial FTICR instrument in the laboratory, we demonstrate in this work the relevance of a space laser‐CosmOrbitrap instrument for the future planetary exploration.