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About

Matteo Massironi is a leading figure in planetary geology, whose work is fundamentally reshaping our understanding of subsurface environments across the solar system. His research focuses on the exploration of planetary caves and lava tubes, with a particular emphasis on the Moon and Mars. Massironi’s major contributions lie in defining the scientific and engineering frameworks necessary for robotic and human exploration of these extreme environments. He is the principal investigator of the DAEDALUS mission concept, which proposes a spherical, autonomous robot designed to descend into and characterize lunar lava tubes. His highly cited 2022 paper on fundamental science questions for planetary cave exploration (38 citations) has become a cornerstone for the field, outlining the cross-disciplinary roadmap needed to investigate these potential havens for astrobiology and future human habitation. Massironi also played a key role in ESA’s ANALOG-1 mission, which demonstrated the teleoperation of a robotic asset from the International Space Station, and developed the PANGAEA mineralogical database to support astronaut geological training. His work is not only advancing planetary science but also directly informing the operational strategies for humanity’s return to the Moon and eventual exploration of Mars.