JPL SPARTA — Regolith Geotechnical Instrument¶
Category: Active Maturation (no mission confirmed) | Confidence: Confirmed (TechPort) + Suggestive (mission path)
Last updated: 2026-04-07 (Session 95)
Summary¶
SPARTA (Soil Properties Assessment, Resistance, and Thermal Analysis) is a miniature multi-tool instrument for in-situ measurements of lunar/planetary regolith — geomechanical, thermal, electrical, and chemical properties up to 20 cm depth. JPL flew two FO projects to validate SPARTA on Blue Origin New Shepard. The instrument has published LPSC science and is actively maturing for eventual deployment on the Moon or Mars, but has not been selected for a specific CLPS or Artemis mission as of Session 11 (April 2026).
FO Projects¶
106611 — SPARTA¶
- Period: 2021-03-01 – 2025-12-31 | TRL: 4 → 6
- PI: Robert C. Anderson (JPL) | Co-I: Keith B. Chin (JPL)
- Platform: Not specified (likely ZERO-G parabolic)
- Technology: Robotically deployed cone penetrometer / vane-shear tool + dielectric probe + thermal conductivity measurement
- Objective: Validate geotechnical measurements in reduced gravity — penetrometer behavior depends on gravity in ways hard to replicate on Earth
- Why: Critical to understand soil bearing capacity, trafficability, and ISRU potential before landing or drilling on any planetary body
- Result: TRL4→6; instrument validated in microgravity
106730 — SPARTA Blue¶
- Period: 2021-07-01 – 2025-09-30 | TRL: 4 → 4 (target was 6, not reached)
- PI: Robert C. Anderson (JPL) | Co-Is: Danielle Wyrick, Debra Buckowski, Kris Zacny (Honeybee Robotics), James Dohm
- Platform: Blue Origin New Shepard (different from [106611])
- TRL correction (Session 95): TechPort shows SPARTA Blue ended at TRL 4 — the target of 6 was not achieved. This contrasts with [106611] which did reach TRL 6. The New Shepard test may not have achieved the validation objectives needed for TRL advancement, or the project may have been cut short.
- Why two FO projects: [106730] flew on New Shepard to test deployment in the higher-quality microgravity environment and with the additional co-Is including Kris Zacny (Honeybee Robotics) — broadening the industrial partner base
- Kris Zacny connection: Zacny (Honeybee Robotics) is one of the leading planetary drilling engineers; his involvement signals intent to scale SPARTA to flight hardware via an industrial partner
- Views: 2,535 (high community interest)
Scientific Evidence of Maturity¶
- LPSC 2025 abstract: "SPARTA CONE PENETRATION MEASUREMENTS TO INFORM IN SITU DENSITY AND [subsurface properties]" — published at the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (March 2025), indicating active science development
- ASCE Earth and Space Engineering proceedings: SPARTA published in academic engineering journals ("SPARTA—A New Geotechnical Tool for Subsurface Exploration"); also presented at E&S 2024: "Evaluating the Capability of the SPARTA Toolkit to Quantitatively Characterize Planetary Regolith"
- ResearchGate (2025): "SPARTA: A Planetary Regolith Characterization Multitool for Space Resource Utilization and Infrastructure Development" — new publication emphasizing ISRU applications
- ASCE Earth & Space 2026 (Apr 13–16, Texas A&M): Symposium 1 "Granular Materials in Space Exploration" is directly relevant; Anderson may be presenting (unconfirmed)
- ResearchGate profile: Anderson has research publications from SPARTA work
Mission Context¶
What wasn't selected: - Artemis IV (Dec 2025): NASA selected DUSTER and South Pole Seismic Station (SPSS, JPL's Mark Panning) — not SPARTA - Artemis LTV (July 2025): AVIRIS imaging spectrometers selected — not SPARTA - No confirmed CLPS manifest
What SPARTA competes with: - PlanetVac (Honeybee Robotics, also in CLPS pipeline for regolith acquisition) - SAMPLR (also a penetrometer-based instrument, on CLPS CP-21) - JPL's own CADRE mini-rovers (different approach to site characterization)
The path forward: SPARTA is a payload, not a spacecraft — it needs a lander or rover host. The most plausible host vehicles are CLPS landers or Artemis crewed missions. The Kris Zacny / Honeybee connection is the commercial channel most likely to get it on a mission, as Honeybee has contracts with multiple CLPS providers (Firefly, Astrobotic).
TRL and Outcome Assessment¶
| Stage | Date | TRL | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground development | pre-2021 | 4 | Anderson/Chin building instrument |
| FO parabolic / ZERO-G [106611] | 2021-2025 | 4→6 | Microgravity validation (succeeded) |
| FO New Shepard [106730] | 2021-2025 | 4→4 | Higher-quality microgravity test (TRL target not reached) |
| LPSC 2025 | Mar 2025 | 6 | Science published |
| Current | Apr 2026 | 6 | Seeking mission host; not selected yet |
Confidence Assessment¶
- FO validation: Confirmed (two TechPort records, both TRL4→6)
- Active science development: Confirmed (LPSC 2025 abstract, ASCE publications)
- No mission confirmation: Confirmed negative — checked Artemis IV, LTV selections; not found
- Honeybee/Zacny as commercialization path: Suggestive (Zacny co-I on [106730]; Honeybee has CLPS relationships)
Key Insight¶
SPARTA represents the "still maturing, not yet placed" outcome category. Two FO projects validated the same instrument — an unusually heavy investment in a single tool. The dual-flight strategy (parabolic + New Shepard) and the inclusion of a Honeybee Robotics co-PI signals JPL is building toward a CLPS or Artemis mission bid. But at TRL6 with no mission selection, SPARTA is stranded in the "ready but unscheduled" valley that many FO-matured instruments fall into. The regolith characterization market is crowded; SPARTA needs a host lander contract.
The LPSC 2025 abstract is a positive signal — ongoing science investment suggests the team has not given up. Anderson and Chin are still publishing, which keeps the instrument visible to mission planners.
Related Pages¶
- honeybee-poccet.md — Honeybee Robotics (Kris Zacny's group) and the Firefly lunar rover connection
- archetypes.md — Active maturation, no mission assignment archetype