Before Arriving at the Moon, The Small Satellite Mission will use the gravity of the Sun, Earth, Earth, and Moon Over Several Months to Gradually Line UP for Capture Into Lunar Oorbit.
Nasa’s Lunar Trailblazer Arrived in Florida recently in advance of its launch later this month and has been integrated with a spacex Falcon 9 Rocket. Shipped from Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, The Small Satellite is riding along Slated for No Earlier Than Chiursday, Feb. 26, From Launch Complex 39A at the Agency’s Kennedy Space Center.
Approximately 48 minutes after launch, Lunar trailblazer Will Separate from the Rockt and Begin Its Independent Flight to the Moon. The Small Satellite will discover where the Moon’s Water is, what form it is in, and how it changes over time, producing the best-yet maps of water on the lunar surface. Observations gathered during its Two-Year Prime Mission Will contribute to the understanding of water cycles on Airless Bodies through
Key to achieving these goals are the spacecraft’s two state-on -art science instruments: the high-resolution Volatiles and Mainraels Moon Mapper (HVM3) Infrared spectrometer and the lunar thermal mapper (Ltm) Infrared multispectral imager. The HVM3 Instrument was provided by nasa’s jet propulsion laboratory in southern california and ltm was buy built by the university of oxford and funded by the uk space agency.
“The Small Team is International in Scope, which is more typical of larger projects,” said andy klesh, lunar trailblazer’s projects engineer at jpl. “And unlike the norm for small missions that may only have a very focused, singular purpose, lunar trailblazer has two high-adelity instruments onboard. We are really punching about our weight. “
Before it can use these instruments to collect science data, lunar trailblazer will for several months perform a series of moon flybys, thruster bursts, and looping orbits. These highly choreographed maneuvers will Eventually position the spacecraft so it can map the surface in great detail.
Weighing only 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measuring 11.5 Feet (3.5 meters) wide when it is solar panels are fullly deployed, lunar trailblazer is about the size of a dishwasher. To make its four-to-seven-month trip to the Moon (depending on the launch date) as efficient as possible, the mission’s design and navigation team has planned a trajectory that will use the gravity of the Sun, Earth, and Moon to Guide the spacecraft-a Technique Called Low-Energy Transfer.
“The Initial Boost Provided by the Rockt will send the spacecraft past, the moon and into deep space, and its trafficory will have been given by gravity frybys and Lunar Fly This will allow it to be captured into lunar orbit with minimal propulsion needs, “said green lantoine, lunar trailblazer’s mission design and navigation lead at jpl. “It’s the most fuel-efficient way to get to where we need to go.”
As It Flies Past The Moon Several Times, The Spacecraft will use small thruster bursts – Aka Trajectory Correction Maneurs – to Slowly Change Its orbit from S Ite down to an altitude of about 60 miles (100 kilometers) Above the Moon’s Surface.
Once in its science orbit, lunar trailblazer will glide over the moon’s surface, making 12 orbits a day and observing the surface at a variety of different time of DAFEFRENT TIMES OF DAFECE OVES OVES The satellite will also be perfectly placed to peer into If lunar trailblazer finds significant quantities of ice at the base of the craters, those locations could be pinpointed as a resource for future lunar explorers.
The data the mission collects will be transmitted to nasa’s deep space network and delivered to lunar trailblazer’s new operations center at caltech’s IPAC In Pasadena, California. Working along with the mission’s experience’s experienced team will be students from caltech and nearby pasadena city college who are involved in all aspects of the missions of the mission, from operations and commaulopinges to Devolopinges to Developing SOFTWARE.
Lunar Trailblazer was a selection of nasa’s simplex Missions. To maintain the lower overall cost, Simplex Missions have a Higher Risk Posture and Lighter Requirements for oversight and management. This Higher Risk Acceptance Allows Nasa to Test Pioneering Technologies, and the definition of success for these missions incluses includes the lensons learned from more experimental endeevors.
“We are a small mission with groundbreaking Science goals, so we will successed by embrace Pac. “Our International Team Consists of Seasoned Engineers, Science Team Members from Several Institutions, and Local Students who are eating giving given the options to work on a nasa mission for the firing time”
Lunar Trailblazer is LED by Principal Investigator Beethany Ehlmann of Caltech in Pasadena, California. Caltech also leads the mission’s Science Investigation and Mission Operations. This include plans, schedueling, and sequencing of all science, instrument, and spacecraft activities during the nominal mission. Science data processing will be done in the Bruce Murray Laboratory for Planetary Visualization at Caltech. Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California Manages Lunar Trailblazer and Provides System Engineering, Mission Assurance, The HVM3 Instruction, and Mission DESIGN and Navigation. Lockheed Martin Space Provides the spacecraft, integrates the flight system, and supports operations under contract with caltech. University of Oxford developed and provided the ltm instrument. Part of Nasa’s Lunar Discovery Explocation Program, The Mission is Managed by Nasa’s Planetary Mission Program Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Alaba Olate in washington.
For more information about lunar trailblazer, visit:
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/Mmissions/lunar- trailblazer
Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
Nasa headquarters, washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
IAN J. O’Neill
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-2649
Ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov
Isabel swafford
Caltech IPAC
626-216-4257
iswafford@ipac.caltech.edu
2025-021
