NASA Launches Lunar Trailblazer Mission to Map Moon’s Water Resources[1]A dishwasher-sized NASA satellite was launched into space from Florida on Wednesday to identify places on the moon’s surface where water exists—for example, in the permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles. This mission aims to uncover the mysteries of lunar water, which could be a game-changer for future space exploration and potential long-term lunar bases staffed by astronauts.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, carrying NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer orbiter built by Lockheed Martin’s space division. The satellite was a secondary payload onboard the rocket, with the primary one being a lunar lander named Athena for a mission led by American space exploration company Intuitive Machines.

The lunar surface is often thought of as arid, but previous measurements have found the presence of some water, even in warmer sun-lit locations. Scientists have long hypothesized that there could be significant amounts of water in the form of ice located in cold and permanently shadowed spots at the lunar poles. “We see tiny amounts of water on sun-lit portions of the moon, which is mysterious,” said planetary scientist Bethany Ehlmann, the mission’s principal investigator and director of Caltech’s Keck Institute for Space Studies. “But, the most interesting for many is the potentially large amounts of ice in the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles. Lunar Trailblazer will peer inside to see how much is at the surface.”

The bottoms of hundreds of craters at the moon’s South Pole are permanently shadowed and may hold patches of ice. Some water may also be locked inside broken rock and dust on the lunar surface, opportunities akin to water locked in arid deserts like the Atacama Desert in Chile.

Lunar Trailblazer, which weighs about 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measures about 3.5 meters wide when its solar panels are fully deployed, is being sent to map this water on the moon’s surface. The scientific goal is to map the form, distribution, and abundance of water to better understand the lunar water cycle. This information is crucial for future moon exploration, including potential long-term lunar bases, which could utilize the harvested water for drinking and processing into other resources, such as breathable oxygen and rocket fuel.

Satellite to Orbit Moon to Map Surface

Lunar Trailblazer is scheduled to perform a series of flybys and looping orbits over a span of several months to position itself to map the surface in detail. Eventually, it will orbit at an altitude of roughly 100 kilometers and collect high-resolution images of targeted areas to determine the form, distribution, and abundance of water on the lunar surface.

Satellite measurements suggest these icy reservoirs could provide the necessary water to support ambitious plans for lunar exploration, such as establishing a permanent base or fueling missions to Mars. Such a discovery could also significantly reduce the costs of space exploration in the 2020s and beyond, making it more feasible for both government agencies and private companies to pursue lunar and beyond exploration.

The mission comes at a pivotal time for the U.S. space program, as NASA continues to gear up for its upcoming Artemis program. This initiative aims to land “the first woman and the next man” on the lunar surface by the mid-2020s, paving the way for sustainable lunar exploration and eventual missions to Mars.

“Understanding where a rover would drive or an astronaut would walk to examine deposits for science and future resource use will benefit all future landed missions,” Bethany Ehlmann said.

Two Lunar Trailblazer instruments will take measurements from orbit together. The Lunar Thermal Mapper, or LTM, will map and measure the lunar surface temperature. These measurements will provide valuable insights into how water might move across the lunar surface, driven by temperature fluctuations. The High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper, or HVM3, will look at the moon’s surface for a telltale pattern of light given off by water, providing a detailed map of where water ice is likely to be found.

“We believe that the movement of water on the moon is likely driven by the surface temperature. So by measuring the presence and amount of water via the HVM3 instrument and the surface temperature via the LTM instrument, we can better understand this relationship,” said University of Oxford planetary scientist Tristram Warren, who worked on developing the LTM instrument.

Lunar water is thought to originate from several potential sources. One possibility is that solar wind—charged particles from the sun—could react with lunar minerals to create water. Another source might be comets or meteorites, which may have delivered water to the moon over billions of years. Although the exact mechanism remains unclear, some theories suggest vast amounts of the water could exist.

The Future of Lunar Exploration

While preparing signatures of water, conflicting scientific opinions over the precise characteristics of these reservoirs invite the debate over the moon’s geological activity.
Critics argue that the presence of water may not be as abundant as hypothesized, possibly stemming from transitional water deposits leaving the lunar environment. Documented lunar soil studies have shown minute quantities of hydrogen, complements to those when detected in lunar water.The practical applications of such results, however, are monumental. The lunar water estimated are likely huge millions of tonnes might provide a resource for lunar explorers in the future.

“Other than for human exploration, lunar water is also scientifically very exciting,” Warren said. “The moon has been orbiting near the Earth almost since the formation of Earth itself. So understanding the origin of the lunar water might help us to understand the origin of water on Earth.”

Conclusion

The Lunar Trailblazer mission represents a critical step in our quest to understand the moon’s water resources and pave the way for future exploration. As we continue to push the boundaries of space exploration, missions like Lunar Trailblazer will provide the scientific foundation needed to support ambitious plans for lunar habitation, sustainable exploration, and beyond.