by Two commercial spacecraft are scheduled to launch to the Moon in early 2024 under a NASA initiative called the Commercial Lunar Cargo Service CLPS. This program aims to launch a commercial transport service that can carry NASA experiments and other payloads to the lunar surface.
If successful, these missions will represent the first Moon landings for spacecraft designed and piloted by private companies. They could potentially open a new era of commercial lunar science and exploration.
CLPS was launched by NASA in 2018. An initial group of nine companies received an invitation to join the program. Among them were Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, the two companies behind these missions. Both missions expect to land a week after liftoff.
The first launch, and NASA’s first flight of 2024, is the Peregrine lunar lander, built by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic. Its launch is scheduled for January 8 at the earliest. Broadly speaking, the lander is a box the size of a medium-sized garden shed that contains several separate experiments.
These include a set of mirrors called the laser retroreflector array, which are used for precise positioning of the lander from orbit. There are also several spectrometers, instruments that separate and measure the different colors found in light. These will measure radiation on the lunar surface and look for traces of water in the lunar soil.
One of them, the Neutron Spectrometer System, will look for hydrogen-containing materials on the surface, which may 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 releases electrons, protons, and heavier ions that accelerate to a significant fraction of the speed of light.
These solar energetic particle (SEP) events are most likely to occur during the Sun’s peak activity (solar maximum), which occurs every 11 years. However, that doesn’t mean there is a respite during solar minimum.
The other source of harmful radiation is galactic cosmic rays (GCR). These energetic particles originate outside the Solar System, probably in explosive phenomena such as exploding stars (supernovae).
During periods of lower solar activity (including solar minimum), the Sun’s magnetic field, which extends throughout the Solar System, weakens. This allows more GCR to reach us.
Another spectrometer on Peregrine will measure both SEPs and GCRs on the Moon. This is important to examine how dangerous the radiation environment on the lunar surface will be for future human explorers.
polar landing
The second spacecraft to be launched in early 2024 is the Nova-C lander. It is designed by Houston-based Intuitive Machines and is similar in volume to the Peregrine, but shaped like a tall, hexagonal cylinder. It will carry several instruments, including its own set of laser retroreflectors. Currently, the launch of Nova-C is scheduled for mid-February.
Other instruments include a set of cameras to produce a 3D image of the Nova-C landing site. This will allow scientists to estimate how much material is carried away by the rocket’s exhaust plume during descent. Potentially, any windblown material can be imaged to get an idea of the composition of the surface material.
The “Radio Observations of the Lunar Surface Photoelectron Pod” (Rolses) instrument is designed to measure how the extremely tenuous lunar atmosphere and dust environment of the Moon’s surface affect radio waves.
The behavior of electrically charged dust particles on the Moon is a technical challenge that future explorers will need to address, as abrasive particles can stick to surfaces and mechanical devices and potentially cause damage if inhaled by astronauts.
One privately built experiment aboard Nova-C is the International Lunar Observatory ILO-X, which will aim to capture some of the first images of the Milky Way from the surface of the Moon. This would demonstrate the concept of moon-based astronomy.
Landing locations
Peregrine’s landing site is a bay on the west side of Mare Imbrium, known as Sinus Viscositatis (Bay of Stickiness). Here, two volcanic mountains called Gruithuisen Domes are made of a different material than the surrounding plains.
The plains are a form of basalt, while the domes are composed of silica. Both are of volcanic origin, but one appears to have been formed by lava with a viscosity of mango chutney (the silica) and the other by more liquid lava (the basalt).
On Earth, silica lavas typically require the presence of both water and plate tectonics. However, there are no known tectonic plates on the Moon, nor is there water in the quantities necessary for silica lavas. The Gruithuisen Domes thus present a geological enigma that Peregrine could solve.
Nova-C’s landing site is the Malapert A crater, which is of particular interest for lunar exploration as it is located near the Moon’s south pole. The surrounding mountains permanently shield this depression from sunlight, leaving it in constant darkness.
Consequently, it is one of the coldest places in the Solar System and, given the lack of sunlight, a place where water ice released by comets hitting the surface for eons could remain stable. Future human explorers could use it for life support and rocket fuel.
Additional payloads from private investors are on both spacecraft. Peregrine contains the “DHL Spacebox,” which will transport personal items of paying customers, while Nova-C contains the “Humanity Hall of Fame,” a list of names that will be sent to the Moon for posterity. These payloads can generate additional funding for launch companies.
Several other companies will launch their first payloads to the Moon in the coming years. With greater input from private companies (assuming these early missions are successful), we may soon witness a new era in lunar exploration.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The authors do not work for, consult with, 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.
