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| This artist’s concept shows NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer in lunar orbit, 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the Moon’s surface. The spacecraft weighs 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measures 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide with solar panels fully deployed. |
NASA’s upcoming Lunar Trailblazer mission aims to uncover the elusive presence of water on the Moon, targeting key questions about its location, form, and behavior. Launching next year, this small satellite will orbit the Moon, utilizing advanced instruments to map water in unprecedented detail.
Despite previous findings indicating water could exist in various forms—such as surface ice in permanently shadowed craters and as molecules scattered across the surface—scientists lack a comprehensive understanding of the lunar water cycle. Lunar Trailblazer will address this gap by analyzing the abundance and distribution of lunar water over time.
Bethany Ehlmann, principal investigator for the mission at Caltech, highlights its significance: “Understanding lunar water is crucial not only for future human exploration but also for insights into Earth’s own water history.” Future lunar explorers could use this water for life support and fuel, with the potential to conduct scientific analyses on its origins.
The mission will utilize two key instruments: the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) and the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM). HVM3 will identify the spectral fingerprints of minerals and water, even in the dark recesses of craters, while LTM will map the lunar surface’s thermal properties. Together, these tools will provide a detailed picture of water’s distribution and the influence of surface temperature on its behavior.
Lunar Trailblazer, weighing 440 pounds and measuring 11.5 feet wide when fully deployed, will orbit at an altitude of about 60 miles. It was selected under NASA’s SIMPLEx program in 2019 and will launch alongside the Intuitive Machines-2 mission.
As the mission gears up for launch, it continues rigorous testing and preparation, promising to shed light on the Moon’s water resources and inform future exploration efforts.