Description: PRIME-1 (Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1) will develop a flight-ready instrumentation package that can assess the volatiles at a polar lunar landing location. PRIME-1 is the combination of two high-TRL instruments; Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) and The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT). PRIME-1 will drill at a south pole lunar landing location where orbiting assets indicate the potential to find water ice. PRIME-1's MSolo instrument will analyze for volatiles present in lunar regolith down across a one-meter vertical profile. The TRIDENT drill will also acquire key science geotechnical details like weight on bit and down-hole temperature data. The results will be interpreted and uploaded to the Planatary Data System. NASA is leveraging novel public/private partnerships with industry to meet the Agency’s objective to return to the surface of the Moon and develop a sustainable lunar ecosystem. NASA’s initial approach to fulfill this goal is to fly payloads that could be ready to land on the Moon early this decade, some of which help inform ISRU objectives. PRIME-1 isa Space Technology Mission DirectorateISRU payload that will gather science data about the presence of volatiles at the landing location where there is the potential to find water ice. PRIME-1 will attempt to acquire a direct measurementfrom the Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C lander of polar volatiles, informing our understanding of the lateral and vertical distribution of the volatiles at the landing location down to a meter deep. PRIME-1 will also inform operational constraints for the upcoming VIPER mission.

Benefits: An initial detailing of the vertical extent of volatiles at a ice-stable polar location from a static CLPS lander will inform insitu resource models and design parameters. Data parameters such as relotith temperature with depth, the force on drill bit required to reach a depth of one meter, the angle of repose of the soil delivered to the surface by the drill, the volatile sublimation rate of watr ice, and the quantification and qualification of all volatiles detected will all inform ISRU future design intiatives. Further the PRIME-1 mission will inform NASA's upcoming VIPER mission as both instruments flown as part of PRIME-1 will fly on integrated into the VIPER rover. The operational data obtained from PRIME-1 will inform the VIPER operational timeline. Geotechnical data and volatiles data acquired from an Artemis landing location where PRIME-1 is expected to land will help inform future Artemis landing and habitation activities at the site.