Florida — As part of the agency’s C.L.P.S. (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, American companies are set to deliver these research payloads, to the lunar surface, no earlier than 2028.
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Joel Kearns, who’s the current Deputy Associate Administrator for exploration, & Science Mission Directorate, for NASA, said: “With CLPS, NASA has been taking a new approach to lunar science, relying on U.S. industry innovation to travel to the lunar surface, & to enable scientific discovery.”
These science experiments on the Surface of the Moon call for proposals, do not require a specific landing site on the lunar surface to gather their data. NASA plans to assign them to specific CLPS delivery task orders, at a later time.
The selected scientific payloads are:
- Emission Imager for Lunar Infrared Analysis in 3D (EMILIA-3D) - The ‘EMILIA-3D’ payload will create three-dimensional thermal models of the lunar terrain. By using a thermal imager to measure the temperature of the landscape, coupled with a stereo pair of visible-light cameras. These models are set to help the U.S. better image & navigate the Moon’s surface. Through improved understanding of the properties of the dusty lunar soil, called regolith, & what temperature measurements convey about the lunar surface. The principal investigator is currently: Andrew Ryan at the University of Arizona.
- Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER) - The ‘LISTER’ instrument will measure the heat flow of the Moon’s interior by drilling beneath the lunar surface. Pausing at intervals to measure temperature changes, & the ability of the subsurface material to conduct heat. A previous version of LISTER flew on the Blue Ghost Mission 1 CLPS delivery to the Moon’s near side. Where it took eight temperature & thermal conductivity measurements as well as, drilled down to about three feet beneath the lunar surface. This new LISTER investigation will study the heat flow generated by the Moon by giving us a better understanding of its thermal history. The principal investigator is currently: Seiichi Nagihara at Texas Tech University.
- Site-agnostic Energetic Lunar Ion and Neutron Environment (SELINE) - The ‘SELINE’ payload will provide new insight into the Moon’s radiation environment. By studying, for the first time at the lunar surface, the radiation from both primary galactic cosmic rays & their secondary particles, and how this radiation interacts with the lunar regolith. Data from ‘SELINE’ will improve our understanding of the planetary processes at work on the Moon. Also, to inform space weather preparation & safety for long-term human exploration of the lunar surface. The principal investigator is currently: Drew Turner at Johns Hopkins University.
NASA uses CLPS to send scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to advance capabilities for science, exploration, or commercial development of the Moon and beyond.
By supporting a steady cadence of lunar deliveries, the agency will continue to enable a growing lunar economy while leveraging the entrepreneurial innovation of the commercial space industry.
To learn more about CLPS and the Artemis program, visit: Nasa.Gov
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