SSAI is deeply committed to support in any way possible Space Exploration, particularly the Artemis and Moon to Mars missions. SSAI scientists and engineers have a wide range of expertise from comparative planetology, lunar science and small bodies, to sensor and algorithm development. In addition, SSAI support with its own internal research and development (IRAD) resources two projects focused on Lunar water and Mars weather forecasts. Lunar water is of paramount importance in the context of Artemis, since one of its crucial aspects is the sustainability of the human presence on the Moon. Contrary to the previous understanding of the Moon we formed some decades ago, recent missions have revealed that water is quite abundant there in its frozen form.

There are vast bodies of primeval ice that are trapped in craters near the Moon’s South Pole, but there is also mineralization water trapped in the crystalline structure of various minerals contained in the Moon’s 'regolith', the unconsolidated rock and dust material that covers most of the Moon’s surface. This water undergoes a complex cycle of sublimation and recrystallization, driven by the extreme thermal variations occurring on the Moon’s surface between the Lunar day and night.

Environmental risks associated with future missions to Mars involve the need of establishing a weather forecast capability on Mars. An essential pre-requisite is the creation of a Mars Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) framework and a comprehensive Mars model intercomparison, in which SSAI is actively involved. A Mars OSSE framework would allow an informed design of an optimal observing system network for Mars to enable, in the future, real-time weather forecast capabilities on Mars.