A forthcoming initiative to explore the Moon is set to commence this week.
NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer initiative is spearheaded by Caltech’s Bethany Ehlmann, a professor of planetary science holding the Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair and the director of the Keck Institute for Space Studies. The operation of the mission is managed by IPAC at Caltech. The Lunar Trailblazer small satellite, referred to as a smallsat, will revolve around the Moon to investigate the characteristics of water on the lunar surface, delivering maps to assist forthcoming robotic and human adventurers. Earlier missions have revealed indications of ice and alternative forms of water that could be utilized in multiple applications, ranging from purification for human consumption to processing for fuel and breathable oxygen needed for subsequent human lunar explorations.
“Lunar Trailblazer breaks new ground in various aspects as a class of cost-effective, higher-risk NASA missions, facilitating comprehension of lunar ice, the water cycle on airless celestial bodies, and resources for future explorers, all while being based at a university and nurturing the next generation of explorers,” remarks Ehlmann.
Discussion surrounding the Moon’s water has concentrated on two potential theories: One theory suggests that comets and “wet asteroids” collided with the Moon, while the other posits that ancient volcanic activities expelled water vapor from the Moon’s core, resulting in frost accumulation on its surface. Discoveries from Lunar Trailblazer will illuminate which theory is more plausible and, crucially, map out the distribution of water on the lunar surface. While traces are currently detected in the sunlit areas of the Moon, theories and various data indicate that substantial ice reserves might exist in permanently shadowed regions at the Moon’s poles.
The mission employs two scientific instruments for its measurements: the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM), developed at the University of Oxford and financed by the UK Space Agency, and the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3), constructed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Caltech oversees JPL on behalf of NASA.
The launch window opens on February 26, after which the mission adopts a low-energy approach utilizing gravity assists from the Earth-Moon-Sun system to position itself in orbit around the Moon between four to seven months later. Upon arrival, it will utilize HVM3 to survey the wavelengths of sunlight reflected from various forms of water over the shadowed craters and the lunar terrain. Simultaneously, LTM will scan these mapped areas to measure surface temperature. By analyzing the same locations at different times of the day, Lunar Trailblazer aims to determine any fluctuations in water quantity on this airless body.
A distinctive aspect of the mission is that spacecraft operations occur at a university rather than within the aerospace sector or a NASA facility. Caltech’s IPAC will oversee Lunar Trailblazer from its campus, capitalizing on decades of experience in operating space telescope scientific instruments and processing their data. Undergraduate students from Caltech and Pasadena City College are also involved in developing the mission’s ground software and command operations, guided by IPAC technical personnel, providing them with training internships for engaging in a space mission.
“Lunar Trailblazer presents a chance to apply IPAC expertise in innovative ways, facilitating efficient campus-based mission operations,” states George Helou, research professor of physics and executive director of IPAC. “Creative operational methodologies, including contributions from students, are essential to harnessing the scientific potential of small satellites within their budget constraints.”
Overseen by JPL, Lunar Trailblazer was chosen as a NASA SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) project in 2019. It is integrated into NASA’s Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program (LDEP), which is administered by NASA’s Planetary Missions Program Office (PMPO) at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) based in Washington. The spacecraft will be launched as a secondary commercial payload, sharing its journey to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket alongside the second Intuitive Machines robotic lunar lander mission, designated IM-2.