In the Rover Permitivity Sensor (RPS) project, we are developing a sensor that measures the electrical permitivity of the lunar regolith. RPS is to be integrated into the wheel of the Rashid-3 rover from MBRSC (UAE) and is expected to be send to the Moon in 2027. The sensor consists of two electrodes of different sizes which are mounted to one of the rover's wheels and connected via a slip ring to the sensor's front-end electronics inside the rover. The accommodation of the electrodes on the rover wheel allows RPS to map the regolith's water content in the lunar subsurface along the rover's track.

TUM is currently conducting a feasibility study that includes

• Development of the front-end electronics
• Integration of the electrodes on the rover wheel
• Life time, vacuum, thermal testing of the mechanical interface between wheel and rover body (slip ring)
• Regolith temperature measurement via IR sensors