Development and testing of the pneumatic lunar drill for the emplacement of the corner cube reflector on the Moon

► We present a method of anchoring a Corner Cube Reflector on the Moon at 50 cm depth. ► It uses gas-powered drill to loft the soil out of the hole and allow the anchor to sink to a depth. ► Tests were done in compacted JSC-1a lunar soil simulant and inside a vacuum chamber. ► The anchor sunk under its own weight of 16 N to a depth of 50 cm in 5 min.