Cost-Benefit Analysis of Lunar Mass Driver Technologies

After more than fifty years, humankind is planning to return to the Moon with the intent of establishing a lunar base. The Artemis program aims to accomplish several important studies and breakthroughs, but staying on the Moon permanently requires using and managing its natural resources. Dr. Gerard O’Neill, an American physicist, conceptualized a lunar mass driver capable of transporting goods and equipment into lunar orbit. Providing improved operational sustainability, a lunar mass driver could be an alternative to traditional rockets (e.g., the Human Landing System) for cislunar logistics missions. This paper develops models to size and assess the performance of different lunar mass driver technologies given a set of mission requirements. The models output the overall system mass and size, and the required power and energy to launch a specific payload.