PRAXIS Mission:
NASA has just selected a mission concept called ‘PRAXIS’ for its Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) 2026 phase I funding.
- PRAXIS is an acronym of ‘Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ Sampling’ is designed to collect and study ring particles directly.
- It is conceptualized by the NASA.
- It will transform understanding of ring structure and origins for Saturn (dense), Uranus and Neptune (tenuous), rings of other objects such as Centaurs Chariklo and Chiron.
- It will consist of a bio-inspired robotic explorer driven by an AI model, and will be capable of directly sampling particles from planetary ring systems.
- It combines robotic autonomy for collision avoidance, precision sampling, and on-site analysis.
- It also uses technology inspired by sport casting to capture free-floating particles and miniaturised instruments for real-time scientific analysis.
- It currently plans to just graze the ring plane.
- Once it has picked a target particle, the spacecraft will perform a touch-and-go sample of the particle’s surface using a long deployable boom, staying at a safe distance from the moving ring particles.
- Once it has a sample, the craft will move on to another region or gap in the rings to sample from another area.
- When it has a sample, small instruments will snag free-floating particles and the AI model will help measure particle size, porosity, and composition.
- PRAXIS addresses a key Decadal priority by delivering the first direct observations of mm- to cm-scale ring particles.
