by Two commercial spacecraft are scheduled to launch to the Moon in early 2024 under a NASA initiative called the Commercial Lunar Payload Service CLPS. This program aims to start a commercial transport service capable of delivering NASA experiments and other payloads to the lunar surface.
If successful, these missions will mark the first landings on the Moon by spacecraft designed and flown by private companies. They could open a new era of lunar exploration and commercial science.
NASA opened CLPS in 2018. An initial group of nine companies were invited to participate in the program. Among them were Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, the two companies behind these missions. Both missions are expected to land within a week of liftoff.
The first launch, and first NASA flight of 2024, is the Peregrine lunar lander, built by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic. It is planned to launch on January 8 at the earliest. Generally, the landing is a box about the size of an average garden shed containing several separate experiments.
These include an array of mirrors called a laser reflector array, which are used to accurately position the lander from orbit. There are also some spectrometers – instruments that separate and measure the individual colors found in light. These will measure the radiation on the lunar surface and look for signatures of water in lunar soil.
One of them, the Neutron Spectrometer System, will look for hydrogen-containing material on the surface, which can indicate the presence of water underground. This water could one day be used by human explorers.
There are two main sources of radiation dangerous to humans in space. One is the Sun, which emits electrons, protons and heavier ions that are accelerated to a significant fraction of the speed of light.
These solar particle events (SEPs) are most likely to occur during peak solar activity (solar maximum), which occurs every 11 years. However, that does not mean that there is relief during the solar minimum.
Another source of harmful radiation is galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). These energetic particles originate outside the Solar System, probably in explosive phenomena such as exploding stars (supernovas).
During periods of lower solar activity (including solar minimum), the Sun’s magnetic field, which extends throughout the Solar System, weakens. This enables more GCRs to contact us instead.
Another spectrometer on the Falcon will measure both SEP and GCR on the Moon. This is important for examining how dangerous the radiation environment at the lunar surface will be for future human explorers.
polar landing
The second spacecraft to be launched in early 2024 is the Lander Nova-C. Designed by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, it has a volume similar to Peregrine, but in the shape of a tall, hexagonal cylinder. It will carry several instruments including its own laser reflector array. Nova-C is currently scheduled to launch in mid-February.
Other instruments include a series of cameras to produce a 3D image of the Nova-C landing site. This will enable scientists to estimate the amount of material blown by the landing rocket’s exhaust plumes during descent. Any blown material could be imagined to get an idea of the composition of the surface material.
The “radio observations of the lunar surface photoelectron sheath” (Rolses) instrument is designed to measure the influence of the extremely thin lunar atmosphere and the dusty environment of the lunar surface on radio waves.
Transporting electrically charged dust particles to the Moon is a technical challenge that future explorers will have to deal with, as the abrasive particles can attach themselves to surfaces and mechanical devices and potentially damage their inhalation of astronauts.
The ILO-X International Lunar Observatory is a privately built experiment on board Nova-C, which will aim to capture some of the first images of the Milky Way galaxy from the surface of the Moon. This would demonstrate the concept of lunar astronomy.
Landing sites
Peregrine’s landing site is a bay on the western side of Mare Imbrium, called Sinus Viscositatis (Bay of Stickiness). Here, two volcanic mountains known as the Gruituisen Domes are made of a different material to the surrounding plains.
The plains are a form of basalt, and the domes are composed of silica. Both are of volcanic origin, but one appears to have been formed by lava with the viscosity of mango chutney (the silica), and the other by more runny lava (the basalt).
On Earth, silicic lavas usually require water and plate tectonics. However, plate tectonics is not known to be present on the Moon, nor is water in the quantities necessary for siliceous lava. So the presence of the Gruituisen dome is a geological enigma that the Hawk could go some way to solving.
Malapert A crater is the landing site for Nova-C – which is of particular interest for lunar exploration, as it is located near the moon’s south pole. The surrounding mountains shield this depression permanently from sunlight, leaving it in constant darkness.
As a result, it is one of the coldest locations in the Solar System and, due to the lack of sunlight, where the water ice delivered by comets that hit the surface over the aeons could remain stable. Future human explorers could use it for life support and to make rocket fuel.
Both spacecraft have additional payloads from private investors. The Falcon has the “DHL Spacebox”, which will carry personal items from paying customers, and the Nova-C has “The Humanity Hall of Fame” – a list of names that will be sent to the Moon in the future. Such payloads can generate additional funding for the shipping companies.
Many other companies are set to send their first payloads to the Moon in the next few years. With more input from private companies – assuming these first few missions are successful – we may soon see a new era in lunar exploration.
This article from The Conversation is republished under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The authors do not work for, consult with, or own shares in, or receive funding from, any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
