LEIA: The landing LIDAR for ESA-roscosmos' lunaresurs mission

LunaResurs is a joint ESA-Roscosmos mission to land at the lunar south pole to search for minerals and water. Neptec UK is providing the landing sensor for this mission, a LIDAR instrument that enables the lander to avoid uneven terrain. Named LEIA-the LIDAR for Extra-terrestrial Imaging Applications-this instrument will provide 3D mapping of the lunar surface during landing. Two maps will be produced: One from an altitude of 1300 m and one from 250 m, with resolutions of 1.0 m and 0.1 m respectively. Neptec UK has designed and built the development model of LEIA and is working on the flight model. The University of Surrey is supporting the optical design. This model will represent the performance of the flight hardware, and will therefore be tested at its full operating range. This presents an exciting on-ground challenge, due to the difficulties of ensuring performance at such a long range. Preliminarily due to launch in 2021, LunaResurs will be the first mission to apply many of the components of the LIDAR in space or on the lunar surface. Subject to a rigorous test campaign, this mission will pave the way for more extensive applications of LIDAR and related technologies in future space missions. This paper will provide a comprehensive overview of LEIA and its role within the LunaResurs mission. The technical designs, calibration and test plans, and preliminary performance results will also be covered.