Actuality from the project

The following activities took place in 2024:

• The project was launched with the ANR and all the partners at the start of the year.

•  The establishment of the risk portfolio and the data management plan, approved by the partners, as well as a workspace hosted and secured by CNES for collecting and sharing project documents.

•    The implementation of Phase 0/A (preliminary design and identification of technical bottlenecks):

• For MARCUS C :
  • sourcing suppliers, identifying technological barriers,the design of MARCUS C0,the design and order preparation for the first secure containers for the recovery of gas and volatile substances

• For MARCUS S :
  • sourcing suppliers, identifying technological barriers, the design and initial prototyping of the IR/THz sensor (CRDS and THz) enabling the detection of volatiles of interest, procuring critical components (from a supply chain perspective),
• For MARCUS Q : the initial identification of technological bottlenecks, the start of the preliminary design,
• For MARCUS AIT : the start of the process of identifying those taking the exam fraudulently.

The year 2025 was devoted to the development and implementation of the technical solutions previously identified. Development is proceeding as planned and there are no major obstacles.

The schedule has been adjusted to take account of the rapid rise in TRL of certain systems (e.g. Marcus S – CRDS) and to minimise the risk of certain activities falling out of sync. In particular, the Phase 0/A study highlighted the need to restructure certain technical activities. Thus, in the Marcus C and Marcus Q tasks, two devices – a glove box workstation (GBW) and secure containers for the transport or synchrotron analysis of samples – have been identified and are either continuing or commencing the development phase. They are designated Marcus C0 and C1 respectively for the GBWs, and Extra-terrestrial Sample Holder (ESH) and Universal Sample Holder (USH) for the secure containers.

This consolidation of the technical elements has paved the way for a collaboration/partnership agreement between CNES and the ESRF (European Synchrotron Research Facility). To put this agreement into practice, an InfraTech project – which will eventually integrate the MARCUS demonstrators at the ESRF – has been proposed under Horizon Europe 2030. If approved, this project will, by 2030–2031, enable the MARCUS CSQ technology building-block prototypes to be implemented and integrated into real-world operating conditions (TRL 7–8) within the major instruments managed by the ESRF and the ILL (Grenoble). The ultimate aim is to provide, within the Grenoble campus, an appropriate containment service for the transport and analysis of sensitive samples.

Focus

CNES regularly updates the risk portfolio, and Critical Design Review (CDR) meetings are scheduled for 2026 and 2027, to be attended by CNES expert committees. The following years will be devoted to prototyping.

The main deliverables expected for 2026 and 2027 are:

For MARCUS C: testing of the GBW-C0 speaker to finalise the design of MARCUS C, prototyping of the GBW-C1 speaker, followed by initial testing to finalise the design of MARCUS C,

For MARCUS S: the completion of the IR demonstrator, along with testing and a study on its integration into MARCUS C, the start of a study into the miniaturisation of the CRDS sensor for its integration into the USH transport container, the completion of the THz demonstrator, along with testing and a study on its integration into MARCUS C,

For MARCUS Q: prototyping of the USH transport container, continuation of prototyping of the ESH container, and testing on the synchrotron beamline,

For MARCUS AIT: Defining the processes for preparing potential biological samples contained within geological samples Manufacturing simulants for MARCUS performance characterisation tests.

CNES R&T support (additional funding) is being considered to accelerate the development of highly innovative technical solutions (e.g. miniaturisation of CRDS technology).

Approval of the InfraTech Horizon Europe 2030 project led by the ESRF is expected by the end of 2026.

In 2028 and 2029, activities will focus on the integration of the MARCUS C, S and Q building blocks, as well as validation and performance characterisation tests.

Relation with others WP

Link to the ASTRO-AFMIR project (ASTRO materials revealed by Atomic Force Microscopy – InfraRed) for defining the sample preparation process by crushing within the MARCUS chamber.

Relation with industries

No companies or start-ups have been set up in connection with the project

Publication links to the project

No publications or patents have resulted from the project.