Welcome to the homepage of the international ISSI team on Cross-calibration of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instruments for planetary exploration.

LIBS is a revolutionary new technique to study planets. It uses a pulsed laser to ablate material of interest at a distance. The light from the spark can be analyzed by spectrometry to determine the elemental composition of the target.

Since 2012, LIBS is successfully used on Mars to explore the geology of Gale Crater with the Mars Science Laboratory rover and the ChemCam instrument.

LIBS in space is becoming international. In the next couple of years, more LIBS instruments will be sent for planetary exploration by teams in China, Europe, India, Japan and the US.

Our goal will be to discuss the technique and its calibration and share tools to help further planetary exploration using LIBS.