Photo credit: www.nasa.gov

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Mission: Mapping the Moon’s Water

The Lunar Trailblazer mission aims to provide critical insights into the Moon’s water, including its location, forms, and temporal changes.

NASA is gearing up to launch Lunar Trailblazer, a small satellite designed to explore and map the presence of water on the Moon. Scheduled for launch no earlier than February 26, this mission will ascend alongside Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Following its launch, Lunar Trailblazer will take several months to reach lunar orbit.

Six Key Points About Lunar Trailblazer

Among the significant developments in lunar science over recent years is the discovery of water on the Moon’s surface; however, much remains unclear about its characteristics. Lunar Trailblazer aims to address these gaps by mapping the location, form, quantity, and change over time of lunar water. This mission is expected to produce comprehensive maps that will deepen our understanding of water cycles on airless celestial bodies throughout the solar system during its two-year primary mission.

Two essential scientific instruments are pivotal for the mission’s success: the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) and the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM). While NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) developed the HVM3, the University of Oxford constructed the LTM with funding from the UK Space Agency.

The HVM3 will identify and map the spectral fingerprints of minerals and various water forms on the lunar surface, while LTM will assess mineralogy and thermal profiles. Together, these instruments will generate a detailed understanding of water distribution on the Moon and its fluctuations based on environmental conditions.

Lunar Trailblazer weighs approximately 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measures 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide when fully extended with solar panels. Its compact design and efficient propulsion system allow for a travel time of four to seven months to reach the Moon, depending on the specific launch date. The mission’s design incorporates a looping trajectory leveraging gravitational assists from the Earth, Moon, and Sun, optimizing fuel consumption during transit through a method known as low-energy transfer.

The spacecraft’s operational orbit will enable it to observe the Moon’s South Pole region, specifically targeting craters that might act as cold traps for ancient water ice untouched by sunlight for billions of years. Leveraging the HVM3, the mission could identify substantial ice reserves, which might be crucial for future lunar expeditions.

Selected in 2019 as part of NASA’s SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) program, Lunar Trailblazer represents an approach to lower-cost scientific missions that can share rides with more extensive projects. This program accepts greater risks to facilitate innovative science that might not otherwise be possible.

The data collected from mapping lunar water is set to benefit both human and robotic lunar endeavors. By identifying accessible water sources, astronauts could create necessary resources such as drinking water or fuel, as well as analyze ice samples to unlock secrets about the Moon’s history.

Leadership of the Lunar Trailblazer mission falls under Principal Investigator Bethany Ehlmann from Caltech in Pasadena, California. The mission integrates the scientific expertise of Caltech alongside operational oversight handled by JPL, which also developed key instruments and managed mission design. Lockheed Martin Space provided the spacecraft assembly and operational backing, while the LTM instrument was developed by the University of Oxford.

Source
www.nasa.gov