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JHU/APL JANUS Platform Arc → SELINE CLPS 2028

Category: Mission Infusion (planned) | Confidence: Confirmed (SELINE selected Jan 2026)
Last updated: 2026-04-07 (Session 94) — [106720] TRL corrected to 5→5 (target 7 not reached); Drew Turner SuPREMeS PI + L1-Next STIS lead; SELINE still no CLPS provider; [155239] still active

Summary

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) ran four sequential FO projects over 12 years that built an external payload accommodation platform (JANUS) and progressively validated radiation detection technology derived from Europa Clipper. The arc culminates in SELINE — a NASA-selected CLPS payload that will land on the Moon in 2028 to measure the radiation environment for human exploration safety.

Key chain:
FO [91355] EM environment (2013) → FO [91597] GPS/IMU suite (2013) → FO [106633] JANUS 3.0 external platform (2017) → FO [106720] Europa PIMS radiation demo (2019) → SELINE CLPS 2028 (selected Jan 21, 2026)

Fifth FO project [155239] — JANUS-TEC (Session 15 addition): PI H. Todd Smith (same); "Atmospheric Observational Capability on Commercial Reusable Launch Vehicles"; TRL 6→6 (atmospheric science, no maturation); ionosphere Total Electron Content (TEC) measurements. Period May 2023 – Apr 2026 (closing out). Views: 2,221. Flew on Blue Origin New Shepard September 18, 2025 — measured ionospheric TEC. Co-Is: Penina Axelrad, Viliam Klein (CU Boulder / SwRI). TRL held at 6 (target was TRL 8). This extends the JANUS platform into atmospheric science rather than the SELINE radiation arc — the platform is now multi-purpose.

The JANUS Platform (Howard T. / H. Todd Smith)

The JANUS (JHU APL Integrated Universal Suborbital) platform is an external payload accommodation system mounted on the Blue Origin New Shepard Propulsion Module ring. Todd Smith's group built it through two foundational FO projects:

91355 — Electromagnetic Field Measurements on sRLV

  • Period: 2013-03-06 – 2022-10-29 | TRL: 4 → 7
  • PI: Howard T. Smith (JHU/APL)
  • Characterized the EM environment inside New Shepard: electric field mills + magnetometer sensors
  • Why it mattered: Before JANUS, no one had systematically mapped the interior EM environment of a commercial sRLV. This data proved the New Shepard interior was safe for sensitive sensors.
  • Outcome: "Advanced To | 2015-06-01" — directly enabled the environment monitoring suite [91597] and later JANUS external accommodations
  • TRL gain: 4→7 is large for a characterization experiment; reflects publication-quality data and ground validation

91597 — Environment Monitoring Suite on sRLV

  • Period: 2013-03-06 – 2022-04-08 | TRL: 5 → 8
  • PI: Howard T. Smith (JHU/APL)
  • Evolution of [91355]: added dual-frequency GPS receiver + IMU; enables global electric circuit and water vapor/ionospheric measurements
  • TRL 5→8 is the highest TRL gain in the JHU/APL FO portfolio — reflects transition to near-operational data product
  • Outcome: "Advanced To | 2013-08-01" — advanced to JANUS platform work
  • Used in 6+ New Shepard missions to establish vehicle interfaces and analyze suitability for science payloads

106633 — JANUS 3.0: External Environment Access

  • Period: 2017-12-01 – 2025-11-30 | TRL: 4 → 6
  • PI: H. Todd Smith | Co-Is: Nathan Scott, Carey M. Lisse, Darryn W. Waugh
  • Modified JANUS platform with aerogel collector mounted on the upper ring of New Shepard's Propulsion Module — provides external access at 80-100 km altitude (the mesosphere/thermosphere boundary)
  • 80-100 km is "a critical region where the atmosphere transitions from molecular to atomic chemistry, yet has relatively little in situ observation"
  • Aerogel collectors capture interplanetary dust and micrometeorites at this altitude
  • Importance: Established JANUS as an external accommodation platform capable of hosting science payloads directly in the space environment (not just inside the capsule)

The PIMS → SELINE Thread (Drew Turner)

106720 — Europa Clipper Technology for Lunar Radiation

  • Period: 2019-10-31 – 2025-04-30 | TRL: 5 → 5 (target was 7, not reached)
  • PI: Howard T. Smith | Co-Is: Joseph H. Westlake (APL, PIMS PI on Europa Clipper), Abigail M. Rymer (APL)
  • Technology: PIMS (Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding) Faraday cups — originally built for Europa Clipper's extreme radiation environment — adapted to measure lunar radiation hazards
  • JANUS integration: JANUS provided the platform and accelerometers/magnetometers/pressure-temperature sensors; PIMS Faraday cups measured lower-energy (<100 eV) charged particles
  • Objective: Build a low-cost, reliable system for lunar radiation hazard identification — critical for long-duration human presence on the lunar surface
  • Completed April 2025 — timing is significant: SELINE selected January 2026, just 9 months after this FO project closed

SELINE — Site-agnostic Energetic Lunar Ion and Neutron Environment

  • Selected: January 21, 2026 by NASA for CLPS delivery
  • PI: Drew Turner (JHU/APL heliophysicist and planetary scientist)
  • Drew Turner = PIMS investigation scientist for Europa Clipper — the direct technology transfer agent
  • Also PI of SuPREMeS instrument (NASA Heliophysics) and science/technical lead on STIS (Suprathermal Ion Sensors) for NOAA L1-Next mission series (2025–2033)
  • Prior: THEMIS, Van Allen Probes, MMS, IMAP
  • Co-I: Konstantin Herbst (University of Oslo, Centre for Planetary Habitability)
  • Science: Measures both primary galactic cosmic rays AND secondary particles (how GCRs interact with lunar regolith to produce secondary radiation hazards)
  • Mission: CLPS delivery to lunar surface, 2028 — no CLPS provider assigned yet (site-agnostic, will be assigned to a specific task order later)
  • Significance: First systematic measurement of radiation environment at the lunar surface, critical for long-duration crew safety and habitat design
  • Partner: UC Berkeley + NASA JSC/KBR
  • Funding: ~100 million NOK (~$9M USD equivalent) noted by Herbst's institution

The Connection: Todd Smith Built the Platform, Drew Turner Used the Science

The two-person mechanism behind this arc: 1. Todd Smith (JANUS PI) — built the external payload accommodation infrastructure through [91355], [91597], [106633], making it possible to fly sensitive instruments on New Shepard 2. Joseph Westlake → Drew Turner (PIMS science) — Westlake was PIMS PI (Europa Clipper) and co-I on [106720]; Turner is the PIMS investigation scientist and became SELINE PI. Westlake became NASA Heliophysics Division Director in Nov 2023.

The FO flights in [106720] validated that Europa Clipper radiation detection technology could work in the near-lunar radiation environment (suborbital analog). SELINE is the graduation of that technology to the actual lunar surface.

IRIS Thread (Charles Hibbitts) — Parallel Arc

Two related FO projects by a different JHU/APL team:

106661 — IRIS-UV: Integrated Remote Imaging System – Ultraviolet

  • Period: 2019-10-01 – 2025-09-30 | TRL: 4 → 6
  • PI: Charles "Karl" Hibbitts | Co-I: John D. Boldt, H. Todd Smith
  • UV spectrometer mounted on New Shepard booster (external), powered autonomously after capsule separation
  • Designed to gather spectral data on atmospheric brightness and transmission in UV
  • Charles Hibbitts = Deputy PI for Europa Clipper MISE (Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa)

106676 — IRIS: Integrated Remote Imaging System

  • Period: 2018-10-01 – 2025-07-18 | TRL: 6 → 7
  • PI: Charles Hibbitts | Co-I: H. Todd Smith
  • Vis-SWIR spectrometer (APL-provided) + iSTART space object detection/tracking system
  • Three visible-NIR cameras + UV/visible spectrometer
  • 2020 flight: demonstrated atmospheric characterization AND space situational awareness (detecting/tracking space objects in real time)
  • Downstream: Research/atmospheric science maturation; no confirmed mission assignment; feeds into APL's space situational awareness capabilities

Pattern: Both Hibbitts and Smith have dual roles as FO PIs and Europa Clipper instrument PIs — the commercial sRLV platform is JPL/APL's test range for instruments destined for deep space.

Europa Clipper Status (Session 46 update)

Europa Clipper launched October 2024, performed Mars gravity assist March 1, 2025, and is heading for Earth flyby December 2026, with Jupiter arrival April 2030. All instruments including PIMS reported healthy in cruise phase. The definitive PIMS instrument paper was published in Space Science Reviews (2023, vol. 219, article 62). Westlake remains NASA Heliophysics Division Director. The PIMS→SELINE technology transfer chain remains intact.

Enhanced Thermal Switch [91666] — Dead End

  • Period: 2012-03-31 – 2016-05-11 | TRL: 4 → 4
  • PI: Douglas Mehoke; Co-Is: Kaushik Iyer, Stergios Papadakis, Paul Wienhold
  • No description available. Outcome: "Advanced To | 2014-08-01 | partner: Other"
  • Zero TRL gain, no description, different PI team from Smith/Hibbitts cluster
  • Assessment: Thermal switch technology didn't mature; different group from the JANUS/SELINE arc

Coverage

FO Project Title Status TRL Outcome
91355 EM Field Measurements on sRLV Completed 4→7 Foundation of JANUS platform → [91597] → [106720] → SELINE
91597 Environment Monitoring Suite Completed 5→8 JANUS full characterization → SELINE
106633 JANUS 3.0 External Access Completed 4→6 External accommodation capability
106720 Europa Clipper Tech for Lunar Radiation Completed 5→5 (target 7) Direct precursor to SELINE (CLPS 2028)
106661 IRIS-UV Completed 4→6 Atmospheric science maturation
106676 IRIS Completed 6→7 Atmospheric science + space domain awareness
91666 Enhanced Thermal Switch Completed 4→4 Dead end

Dollar amounts tracked: SELINE selected for CLPS 2028; ~$9M estimated (from Norway co-I announcement). No USASpending contracts found yet (award too recent, Jan 2026).

Confidence Assessment

  • FO → JANUS platform: Confirmed (multiple APL press releases, 6+ flights documented)
  • FO [106720] → SELINE technology: Confirmed (Drew Turner is both PIMS investigation scientist for Europa Clipper and SELINE PI; [106720] used PIMS Faraday cups + JANUS; SELINE selected 9 months after [106720] closed)
  • SELINE CLPS 2028 delivery: Confirmed (NASA press release Jan 21, 2026; JHU/APL announcement)
  • Causal strength: Suggestive-to-confirmed — the direct technology lineage (PIMS→SELINE) and shared PI (Turner) is compelling; but SELINE may also draw on other PIMS flight data not in TechPort

Key Insight

JHU/APL used FO as a systematic instrument test range for Europa Clipper spinoffs. Smith built the platform; Hibbitts' and Turner's Europa Clipper instruments flew on it. The result: two distinct technology threads — one going to lunar radiation (SELINE), one to atmospheric remote sensing (IRIS). The FO portfolio here is less about maturing any single technology and more about establishing APL's external accommodation capability that now hosts dozens of sensors per flight.

SELINE is also the only FO-traceable project in this KB that directly addresses human exploration safety (radiation dose for astronauts on the lunar surface). Its 2028 landing will produce the most operationally significant radiation dataset yet collected there.