As part of the wider agency Artemis The mission, Firefly, will deliver a group of science experiments and technology demonstrations under NASA’s CLPS initiative, or Commercial Lunar Payload Services, to the lunar domes, which are ancient lava flow regions, to study planetary processes and evolution. To understand better. Through CLPS, NASA is advancing our understanding of the lunar environment and helping prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agency’s Moon-to-Mars exploration approach. .
“The CLPS initiative conducts U.S. scientific and technological studies on the lunar surface through robotic explorers. As NASA prepares for future human exploration of the Moon, the CLPS initiative continues to support a growing lunar economy with U.S. companies. has happened,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Understanding the formation of grotesque domes, as well as ancient lava flows around the landing site, will help the US answer important questions about the lunar surface.”
Firefly First lunar landing The launch is scheduled before mid-January 2025 and will land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, on the moon’s near-northeast quadrant. Firefly Second lunar mission It includes two task orders: the drop-off of a satellite into lunar orbit coupled with a remote approach to the lunar surface and the delivery of a lunar orbital calibration source, scheduled for 2026.
In 2028 this new delivery will send payloads to the Gruithuisen Domes and nearby Sinus Viscositatus. The Gruithuisen Domes have long been suspected to have formed from silica-rich magma similar to granite. Granitic rocks are easily formed on Earth due to plate tectonics and water oceans. The Moon lacks these key components, so lunar scientists are left to wonder how these domes form and evolve over time. For the first time, as part of this task order, NASA has also contracted for “mobility” for some scientific instruments after landing on the lunar surface. It will enable new types of US scientific research from CLPS.
“Firefly will provide six instruments to understand the landing site and the surrounding area,” said Chris Culbert, manager of the CLPS initiative at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “These instruments will study geological processes and the lunar regolith, examine solar cells, and characterize the neutron radiation environment, providing invaluable information as NASA works to establish a long-term presence on the Moon. ”
The equipment, expected to weigh about 215 pounds (97 kg) in total, includes:
- Lunar Vulcan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorerwhich consists of two stationary and three mobile instruments, will study rocks and regoliths on top of one of the domes to determine their origin and better understand the geological processes of early planetary bodies. The principal investigator is Dr. Carrie Donaldson Hanna of the University of Central Florida, Orlando.
- Heimdall A flexible camera system will be used to take images of the landing site from above the horizon directly below the lander to the ground. The principal investigator is Dr. R. Allen Youngest of the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona.
- Sample acquisition, morphology filtering, and investigation of lunar regolith There is a robotic arm that will collect samples of the lunar regolith and use a robotic scope to filter and separate particles of different sizes. The sampling technology will use flight spares from the Mars Exploration Rover project. The principal investigator is Sean Dougherty of Maxer Technologies, Westminster, Colorado.
- Low-frequency radio observations from near the lunar surface Designed to observe the Moon’s surface environment in radio frequency, to determine if natural and man-made activity near the surface interferes with science. The project is led by Nachimuthak Gopalaswamy of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
- Photovoltaic probes on the lunar surface Future missions will carry a set of state-of-the-art solar cells to demonstrate light-to-power conversion technology. The experiment will also collect data on the electrical charging environment of the lunar surface using a small array of solar cells. The principal investigator is Jeremiah McNaught from NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
- Neutron Measurements on the Moon’s Surface A neutron spectrometer will characterize the surface neutron radiation environment, monitor hydrogen, and provide constraints on elemental composition. The principal investigator is Dr. Heidi Haviland of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Through the CLPS initiative, NASA purchases lunar landing and surface operations services from US companies. The agency uses CLPS to send scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to advance the moon’s science, exploration, or commercial development capabilities. By supporting a strong cadence of lunar missions, NASA will continue to enable a growing lunar economy by leveraging the business innovation of the commercial space industry. Two upcoming CLPS flights, beginning in early 2025, will deliver NASA payloads to the near-Moon and south polar regions, respectively.
Learn more about CLPS and Artemis:
Finally
Alice Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
Natalia Reusich / Nilofar Ramji
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
natalia.s.riusech@nasa.gov / nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov