Logistics Modeling and Simulation for Lunar and Mars Mission Architecture Analysis

Commercial space launch companies have been drastically decreasing their launch costs in recent years. This may change space logistics for future lunar and Mars missions. In the Artemis plan, the lunar gateway located in the near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) is a staging point to the lunar surface. This staging point can be used for refueling propellant from lunar in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). To further decrease mission costs, identifying where to optimally obtain propellant and refuel are important to determine. In this study, it is assumed that plenty of existing ice water can be found at the lunar south pole and on Mars� surface. Space logistics for conducting Mars missions were studied by using cost models including development, production, and operation costs to determine whether refueling at the lunar gateway using propellant produced by ISRU on the lunar surface is cost-effective compared to propellant transported from Earth. We conducted a parametric analysis of the total cost for Mars missions using ISRU by varying the operation cost on the lunar surface and Mars� surface, transportation costs between the lunar gateway and the lunar surface, and environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) costs with biomass production. The results show that ISRU on both the lunar surface and Mars surface is not cost effective compared with ISRU only on Mars surface when the lifetime is short. The results also show that there are feasible cost-effective combinations of parameters when the lifetimes are longer.