Miniature semiconductor neutron spectrometer HardPix for surface mapping of lunar water

A current renaissance of lunar exploration enables to search for lunar water deposits directly on the surface of the Moon with robotic rovers. We present a novel miniature semiconductor neutron spectrometer capable of mapping the water deposits using non-invasive detection of neutrons created underground by cosmic rays and thermalized by hydrogen. This prospecting package consists of a radiation detector to monitor the cosmic rays background, a thermal/epithermal neutron detector to measure flux of neutrons moderated by water, and a gamma spectrometer suitable for monitoring local changes of major elemental components of the lunar regolith. Using miniature semiconductor detectors allows to deploy them even on small commercial rovers where resources are extremely limited. The prospecting package is being developed for ispace lunar rover and studied for ESA EL3 rover. It is based on Timepix pixel sensors, with space heritage onboard NASA, ESA and JAXA vessels.