NASA’s
Lunar
Trailblazer
mission
is
set
to
provide
unprecedented
insight
into
the
Moon’s
hidden
water.
Built
by
Lockheed
Martin
and
managed
by
NASA’s
Jet
Propulsion
Laboratory,
this
small
satellite
aims
to
locate,
measure,
and
understand
water
on
the
lunar
surface.
Launching
next
year,
the
Trailblazer
will
play
a
pivotal
role
in
discovering
the
forms
and
behaviours
of
water
in
areas
of
the
Moon
where
it
has
long
been
theorised
but
rarely
observed.
Mapping
Lunar
Ice
and
Water
With
two
scientific
instruments
aboard,
the
Lunar
Trailblazer
will
map
and
identify
surface
water
and
ice
on
the
Moon.
The
High-resolution
Volatiles
and
Minerals
Moon
Mapper
(HVM3)
is
a
sophisticated
infrared
spectrometer
capable
of
detecting
water
in
various
states.
It
can
peer
into
permanently
shadowed
craters,
using
sunlight
reflections
from
crater
walls
to
view
areas
untouched
by
light
for
billions
of
years.
The
second
instrument,
the
Lunar
Thermal
Mapper
(LTM),
developed
by
the
University
of
Oxford
and
funded
by
the
UK
Space
Agency,
will
assess
the
thermal
properties
and
surface
minerals
of
these
regions.
Together,
they
offer
a
dual
perspective
that
promises
to
deepen
our
understanding
of
the
Moon’s
water.
Potential
Impact
for
Future
Exploration
The
findings
of
Lunar
Trailblazer
will
support
future
lunar
missions
by
potentially
locating
accessible
ice
deposits.
This
knowledge
is
critical
for
future
explorers,
who
may
use
lunar
ice
as
a
resource
to
produce
oxygen
or
rocket
fuel.
Studying
the
ice
composition
could
also
reveal
clues
about
the
origins
of
lunar
water,
which
may
come
from
sources
like
comets
or
volcanic
activity
on
the
Moon.
According
to
experts,
lunar
ice
core
samples
could
yield
a
historical
record
similar
to
those
from
glaciers
on
Earth,
shedding
light
on
the
Moon’s
water
origins
and
history.
Preparing
for
Launch
The
mission
began
as
part
of
NASA’s
SIMPLEx
initiative
in
2019,
is
now
in
its
final
preparation
stages.
Having
successfully
completed
environmental
and
operational
tests,
the
Lunar
Trailblazer
will
share
a
launch
with
Intuitive
Machines-2.
Its
lightweight
design,
weighing
only
440
pounds
and
measuring
11.5
feet
when
fully
deployed,
makes
it
ideal
for
planetary
exploration.
With
mission
operations
led
by
Caltech
and
backed
by
JPL
and
Lockheed
Martin,
the
Trailblazer
will
soon
take
on
a
new
phase
in
lunar
science.