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The Lunar Trailblazer’s launch is planned for February 26 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to study the secrets of lunar water.
The spacecraft is designed to search for water hidden in the moon’s coldest regions. (Photo Credits: X)
The Lunar Trailblazer, an advanced orbiter created by engineers at Lockheed Martin, is set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is planned for February 26 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the goal is to study the secrets of lunar water. Part of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions program, the spacecraft is designed to search for water ice hidden in the moon’s coldest regions.
The Trailblazer has special tools, the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper and the Lunar Thermal Mapper. These instruments will help scientists understand how water and its related substances behave in extreme conditions on the moon.
As per NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory website, “While it is known that water exists on the lunar surface, little is known about its form, abundance or distribution. The water may be locked inside rock and regolith, broken rock and dust or it may collect as surface water ice inside the Moon’s permanently shadowed craters. In cold shadows, water molecules may also settle for short periods as frost: When the Sun moves across the sky during the lunar day, the shadows move, cycling these water molecules into the Moon’s exosphere and moving them to other cold places where they can settle once more as a frost.”
Speaking with Space.com, Bronson Collins, the chief engineer of the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft, explained that the mission shares a connection with the GRAIL spacecraft that studied the moon’s gravity. The 2011 mission used two spacecraft called Ebb and Flow, which were also designed and built by Lockheed Martin. According to Collins, the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper are the core of the mission’s research. They are attached to the Curio platform, which has a large fuel tank. The engineer mentioned that a lot of fuel would be used at the beginning of the mission to reach the moon.
Reportedly, the Lunar Trailblazer will reach the moon four to seven months after its launch, depending on the specific launch date. Once it enters the moon’s orbit, the mission is expected to continue for a year. After completing its research, the spacecraft will be intentionally crashed into the moon, a process known as “surface disposal.”
Ryan Pfeiffer, Lockheed Martin program manager for Lunar Trailblazer said, “This is the first in our Curio line of spacecraft, and we learned a lot. That product line is intended to enable lower-cost, faster access to space. We hope it’s the first of many. Our risk posture is a little bit greater here to try and conserve some budget.”
Before launch, the Lunar Trailblazer will go through a short and quick preparation phase. This includes a final check of its systems, charging its batteries and filling fuel. After that, it will be attached to the Falcon 9 rocket for its journey. This mission is important because it will help scientists learn more about how water moves and exists on the moon. The information gathered could also help future astronauts by identifying places where water can be collected and used as a resource.
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