Multi-Objective Decision-Making for Deploying Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization Plants under Uncertainty [* Cross-Reference *]

In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU). the act of utilizing local resources available in space, such as the lunar regolith. has been proposed and researched extensively. Previous studies have recognized the uncertainties associated with the lunar environment and operations of ISRU plants, including resource content and operational availability, and their effects on ISRU plant performance.

These studies, however, often overlook the fact that knowledge about uncertainty can be continuously updated through information-gathering. This paper analyses the design and planning of ISRU facilities as a multi-objective sequential decision-making problem under uncertainty. Inspired by the value of information analyses commonly used in the terrestrial resource extraction industry, this research demonstrates the use of multi-objective decision analysis for lunar ISRU plant deployment to show potential risk management trade-offs in oxygen production.