How NASA's Lunar Trailblazer Will Chart a Unique Path to the Moon

Written by Copernical Team Sunday, 16 February 2025 05:25

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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2025

NASA's Lunar Trailblazer has arrived in Florida for final preparations ahead of its upcoming launch later this month. The small satellite, built by Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, has been integrated with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It will fly as part of Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, with liftoff planned no earlier

How NASA's Lunar Trailblazer Will Chart a Unique Path to the Moon
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2025

NASA's Lunar Trailblazer has arrived in Florida for final preparations ahead of its upcoming launch later this month. The small satellite, built by Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, has been integrated with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It will fly as part of Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, with liftoff planned no earlier than Thursday, Feb. 26, from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A.

About 48 minutes after launch, Lunar Trailblazer will detach from the rocket and embark on its solo journey to the Moon. This compact satellite will map the Moon's water distribution, analyze its form, and track its variations over time, providing the most detailed water maps of the lunar surface to date. Data collected during its primary two-year mission will enhance the understanding of water cycles on airless celestial bodies while aiding future human and robotic lunar exploration by identifying accessible water sources.

The spacecraft is equipped with two advanced scientific instruments: the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) infrared spectrometer, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM) infrared multispectral imager, constructed by the University of Oxford with support from the UK Space Agency.

"The small team is international in scope, which is more typical of larger projects," said Andy Klesh, Lunar Trailblazer's project systems engineer at JPL. "And unlike the norm for small missions that may only have a very focused, singular purpose, Lunar Trailblazer has two high-fidelity instruments onboard. We are really punching above our weight."

Precision Navigation

Before it can begin its scientific observations, Lunar Trailblazer will execute a complex series of lunar flybys, thruster burns, and looping orbits over several months. These maneuvers will gradually refine its trajectory, allowing it to achieve its final mapping position.

With a weight of just 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and a width of 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) when its solar panels are fully extended, the satellite is comparable in size to a dishwasher and operates with a relatively small propulsion system. To maximize fuel efficiency, mission planners have devised a trajectory that leverages the gravitational forces of the Sun, Earth, and Moon - a technique known as low-energy transfer.

"The initial push from the rocket will send the spacecraft past the Moon and into deep space, after which gravity will naturally reshape its path following multiple lunar flybys and Earth loops," explained Gregory Lantoine, Lunar Trailblazer's mission design and navigation lead at JPL. "This method allows it to enter lunar orbit using minimal fuel."

As the spacecraft makes repeated Moon flybys, it will conduct small thruster burns - known as trajectory correction maneuvers - to gradually shift from a highly elliptical orbit to a nearly circular one. Eventually, it will settle into a stable science orbit approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) above the lunar surface.

Mapping the Lunar Surface

Upon reaching its operational orbit, Lunar Trailblazer will circle the Moon 12 times per day, collecting data at various times of the lunar day. Crucially, its observations will extend into the permanently shadowed craters near the Moon's South Pole - regions that never receive direct sunlight and may contain frozen water. If the mission identifies significant ice deposits, these locations could serve as key resources for future lunar missions.

Lunar Trailblazer will transmit its findings to NASA's Deep Space Network, with data processing and mission operations managed from the newly established operations center at Caltech's IPAC in Pasadena, California. Assisting in mission operations will be students from Caltech and Pasadena City College, who will gain hands-on experience working alongside seasoned engineers and scientists.

The mission is part of NASA's SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) program, which supports cost-effective planetary science missions by allowing smaller spacecraft to hitch rides with larger missions. SIMPLEx missions accept higher operational risks and have reduced oversight requirements, fostering technological innovation and experimental approaches.

"We are a small mission with groundbreaking science goals, so we will succeed by embracing the flexibility that's built into our organization," said Lee Bennett, Lunar Trailblazer operations lead at IPAC. "Our international team consists of seasoned engineers, science team members from several institutions, and local students who are being given the opportunity to work on a NASA mission for the first time."