What instruments will NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer use to search for water on Moon?

NASA launched the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft on Wednesday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, sending it on a mission to explore the Moon’s south pole. The spacecraft aims to determine the presence of different forms of water on the lunar surface.

As part of the mission, Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander is set to land on March 6 at Mons Mouton, a plateau near the Moon’s south pole.

The lander carries scientific instruments under NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and the Artemis campaign. The IM-2 mission will collect critical data about the Moon, supporting future astronaut exploration and advancing space exploration for humanity’s benefit, according to NASA.

What is the aim?

• NASA's CLPS missions will conduct one of the first on-site demonstrations of resource utilisation on the Moon by measuring the potential presence of volatiles or gases in lunar soil.
• A passive Laser Retroreflector Array mounted on the lander’s top deck will reflect laser light, providing future orbiting or incoming spacecraft with a permanent reference point on the lunar surface.
• The mission will also test a surface communications system and deploy a propulsive drone capable of hopping across the lunar surface for exploration.
• NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft, launched with the IM-2 mission, will enter lunar orbit to map the distribution of water in various forms and track how it changes over time.
• The mission aligns with NASA’s Artemis campaign, aiming to study planetary processes, search for lunar water and resources, and support long-term human exploration on the Moon.

Key instruments aboard the IM-2 mission

Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1): This experiment aims to explore the Moon’s subsurface and identify potential resources. It consists of two key instruments: the Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrains (TRIDENT), which drills into the lunar surface to collect soil samples, and the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo), which analyses the samples to detect volatile compounds that turn into gas. The data collected will help scientists understand the Moon’s surface composition and guide future resource utilisation.

Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA): This instrument includes a set of eight retroreflectors designed to enable precision laser ranging, which measures the distance between the spacecraft and the lander. The LRA is a passive optical device that will serve as a permanent location marker on the Moon, aiding future missions in navigation and scientific studies for decades.

Micro Nova Hopper: Developed under NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate Tipping Point initiative, this autonomous drone, Grace, is designed for high-resolution surveying of the lunar surface. It will hop into a nearby crater to collect scientific data and send it back to the lander. The hopper is expected to explore permanently shadowed regions, offering new insights into areas that could hold key information for sustaining human presence on the Moon.

Nokia Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS): This advanced 4G/LTE communication system, developed with NASA funding, will facilitate connectivity between the Intuitive Machines lander, a Lunar Outpost rover, and the Micro Nova hopper. The LSCS is engineered to transmit high-definition video, command messages, and telemetry data. It aims to demonstrate a compact, efficient communication network that could support future lunar missions and space infrastructure.