SPACE VENTURE

( 01 ) About the Artemis Program

The Artemis Program is an international lunar exploration project aimed at sending humans back to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s. This program seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface, marking a significant milestone in space exploration nearly half a century after humanity's first steps on the Moon.

( 02 ) Our mission

The search for water resources is crucial to enabling sustained human activity on the lunar surface. At GSS, we are committed to unlocking a new era of space exploration by developing and providing next-generation SIMS technology - a groundbreaking innovation unlike any other in the world. Through this effort, we are challenging the frontiers of space and contributing to the realization of sustainable lunar exploration.

Why Bring SIMS to the Moon?

The global race to explore the Moon is intensifying. Following the success of the former Soviet Union and the United States, China, India, and Japan have all successfully landed on the Moon. Additionally, a U.S. startup recently achieved the first private lunar landing. Unlike the Apollo missions of nearly 50 years ago, which aimed simply to reach the Moon, today's lunar exploration efforts are focused on establishing bases to expand human activities in space. Water is essential for sustained operations on the lunar surface.
For instance, if water on the Moon can be used to produce rocket fuel, it would be far more cost-effective than transporting fuel from Earth. In the future, when lunar exploration teams return to Earth or head to other destinations, having access to water on-site would allow for the production of fuel by splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen. Refueling on the Moon could significantly reduce the costs of space travel and the expenses associated with maintaining lunar bases.
However, whether water truly exists on the Moon is something we can only confirm by "going there."
Even if lunar rocks were brought back to Earth, there's a risk that they could become contaminated with water during transport, given that Earth is a water-rich planet. This contamination would make it difficult to obtain accurate results.

Why SIMS?

The European Space Agency (ESA) launched the Rosetta spacecraft, which carried various scientific instruments, including the Double-Focusing Mass Spectrometry (DFMS) within ROSINA and the Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) within COSIMA. These instruments, which were sent on a mission to a comet, are closely related to the Magnetic Sector SIMS (Double-Focusing Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) that we are currently developing.Magnetic Sector SIMS possesses extremely high sensitivity for detecting trace elements and isotopes.While the sensitivity can vary depending on the energy of the primary ion beam and the physical properties of the sample, it typically allows for the detection of concentrations at the ppm level. Additionally, Magnetic Sector SIMS is instrumental in uncovering the origins of extraterrestrial materials and the processes occurring within Earth's interior. It serves as a valuable tool in exploring the evolutionary processes of meteorites and rocks.

Magnetic Sector SIMS is widely regarded as the practical standard in the field of geology, with numerous successful applications. Beyond its sensitivity, SIMS is the ideal choice for the stable measurement of hydrogen, as evidenced by its proven effectiveness in hydrogen analysis on Earth.

How do we transport SIMS to the moon?

The cost of transporting materials between the Moon and Earth is said to be approximately 100 million yen per kilogram. A single Magnetic Sector SIMS currently available on the market weighs around 1,500 kg, meaning the transportation cost alone would be 150 billion yen. (For larger, more advanced Magnetic Sector SIMS units, which can weigh up to 10,000 kg, the costs would be even higher.)
At GSS, while maintaining the fundamental principles of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), we are dedicated to developing a new ion source, miniaturizing the equipment, and advancing magnetic field control to significantly reduce the device's weight for lunar deployment. We are collaborating with Hokkaido University on a joint research project, focusing on the "Fundamental Research Necessary to Develop New Mass Spectrometry." Every day, we are engaged in foundational research on elemental technologies.