A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted on February 26, carrying ‘Athena’ Nova-C class lunar lander and NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer orbiter. The launch took place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Developed by Lockheed Martin, Lunar Trailblazer will explore the moon’s south pole, an area that has intrigued scientists for years. The mission’s main goal is to study water on the Moon in ways done before.
Water on the Moon has been one of the most surprising discoveries in recent decades. However, scientists still don’t know much about its exact location, quantity or form. Lunar Trailblazer aims to change that. The spacecraft will map where the water is, how much there is and what state it exists in. It will also monitor how the distribution of water changes over time which will give scientists new insights into the Moon’s water cycle.
What’s big, covered in water, yet 100 times drier than the Sahara Desert? It’s not a riddle, it’s the Moon! We know the Moon has H2O, but many questions remain. NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer will help find answers as part of its mission to map the Moon’s water. https://t.co/nsgNl3M2ks pic.twitter.com/AbLFGC9RPp
— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) February 24, 2025
Objectives of the mission:
The spacecraft carries two advanced instruments that will help gather crucial data. The first is the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3), an infrared spectrometer.
This instrument “will detect and map the spectral fingerprints, or wavelengths of reflected sunlight, of minerals and the different forms of water on the lunar surface,” as per NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JBL) website.
The second instrument, the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM), “will map the minerals and thermal properties of the same landscape.”
“Together they will create a picture of the abundance, location, and form of water while also tracking how its distribution changes over time and temperature,” the website stated.
Lunar Trailblazer will focus on the Moon’s south pole where scientists believe water might be hiding in permanently shadowed craters. These craters, which may not have seen sunlight in billions of years, could be home to frozen water and Lunar Trailblazer’s instruments will look for signs of ice there.
“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 statement on the website read.
The size of the spacecraft:
Talking about its size, the spacecraft weighs about 440 pounds (200 kg) and measures 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide with its solar panels fully deployed design. The size is similar to a dishwasher. It will use a small propulsion system to travel to the moon.
“The mission’s design and navigation team has planned a looping trajectory that will use the gravity of the Sun, Earth, and Moon to guide Lunar Trailblazer to its final science orbit — a technique called low-energy transfer,” as per the website.
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