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Radiation-proof and Moon-bound

Each component has at least three layers of radiation protection. A coating renders the device resistant to damage or malfunctions from cosmic rays.

ESA has chosen the timer to fly to the Moon’s south pole on Russia’s Luna-27 lander in 2022. Neptec UK is teaming up with Eventech to prepare the flight model for launch.

Neptec are working on a ‘lidar’ – the laser equivalent of radar – as an essential part of ESA’s autonomous landing and navigation system for Luna-27.

The clock will measure the time light pulses take to return to Luna-27 after bouncing off the surface during landing.

“This allows us to build a 3D map to select the best landing site, avoiding uneven terrain and large rocks,” explains Kerry Sanz, the project manager at Neptec.

“We are very excited – this is the first of a series of missions that could lead to a human base on the Moon and we are involved in ensuring the spacecraft can land safely.”

This ‘made in Europe’ technology will also benefit us on Earth: “There could be more applications for extreme radiation environments on Earth such as nuclear power stations or particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider,” says Nikolai. 

Other uses include synchronising time between devices through optic fibre, deep-space laser communications, and laser altimetry to collect 3D information on Earth’s surface.