M3SENS: Advanced sensors to characterise the surface and subsurface in planetary missions

The project was divided into three complementary subprojects. In the first, which retained the name of the overall project, INTA-CAB (the project coordinator) led the scientific exploitation and operational support of the REMS, TWINS and MEDA environmental stations on Mars. In the second, M3SENS, the UPC was responsible for designing the next generation of wind sensors and thermal probes to study the interaction between the planet’s surface and subsurface. In the third, M3CHIP, the Universidad de Sevilla-IMSE developed an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designed to process signals from the miniaturised wind sensor under extreme conditions. The circuit is radiation-resistant (radiation hardened by design) and capable of operating across the extreme temperature range found on Mars.

M3SENS, led by the UPC’s Micro and Nanotechnologies for Solar Energy Group (MNT-Solar), focused on developing a new sensor suite (an integrated set of different sensors that work together) for planetary exploration. The solution focused particularly on the Martian environment, while also addressing scientific and technological challenges associated with other bodies such as the Moon and asteroids, and other environments of interest for future space missions. Researchers from the TUAREG) and the RF&MW research groups at the UPC also participated in this subproject.

Planetary exploration requires increasingly accurate, robust and miniaturised instruments that can operate under extreme conditions and provide reliable information on interactions between the atmosphere, surface and subsurface. On Mars, reliably measuring local surface winds and the thermophysical properties of regolith (the layer of loose, fragmented material covering the surface of a planetary body) is essential to interpreting the planet’s evolution, preparing future missions and improving the safety and efficiency of systems deployed in the field. These developments also open up new opportunities in advanced instrumentation, sensors for extreme environments and miniaturised sensing technologies.

Against this background, M3SENS proposes a sensor suite that helps to characterise the surface-subsurface interface in different planetary environments. The project includes a new-generation wind sensor for the Martian atmosphere, building on the wind sensors in the REMS, TWINS and MEDA instruments developed for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, InSight and Mars 2020 missions. It also includes a thermal probe for regolith to measure the thermophysical properties of planetary material, together with the exploration of a new microwave probe for regolith characterisation.

The project’s innovation lies in combining advanced sensing technologies, simulation, control electronics and high-frequency thermal characterisation techniques. Within this framework, techniques based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) were developed to increase the bandwidth of the wind sensors. A key part of the UPC contribution was the development and technological maturation of a spherical 3D wind sensor for the Martian atmosphere, with the aim of advancing the technology to a maturity level close to validation in real or representative environments. The project also explored new high-frequency technologies for monitoring air flows over surfaces, with space and aeronautical applications.

For the spherical wind sensor for Mars, the project carried out system-level tests using the ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) developed by US-IMSE, together with mechanical simulations for qualification and high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulations to understand how the sensor responds to wind according to its geometry. It also developed a regolith sensor with electronic control systems to characterise thermophysical properties in ice, Martian and lunar regolith simulants, and meteorite simulants.

Budget and Consortium

M3SENS had a budget of €151,250, funded by the Spanish State Research Agency through the State Knowledge Generation Programme. The project ran for three years (January 2022 to December 2024, extended to December 2025).