NASA Selects Three New Lunar Science Instruments for Artemis Moon Missions

NASA revealed the selection of the next three lunar science instruments to be sent to the Moon as part of the Artemis mission. As part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, U.S. businesses will transport the instruments to the lunar surface by 2028 to study the topographic mapping and subsurface heat flow and radiation. According to NASA’s Joel Kearns, “These missions will not only expand our knowledge about the Moon’s history and environment but will also inform future human safety and navigation on the Moon and beyond.”

3D Thermal Mapping of the Lunar Surface

According to NASA, one of the payloads is named Emission Imager for Lunar Infrared Analysis in 3D, or EMILIA-3D for short. This payload has the capability to create 3D maps of the Moon’s temperature. It consists of an infrared camera and stereo cameras that are able to determine the temperature and terrain of the Moon’s surface. It can analyse the variations in temperature in the Moon’s regolith and give insights into how temperatures are distributed in different terrains.

Probing the Moon’s Heat Flow and Radiation

LISTER (Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity) will drill beneath the lunar surface to measure heat flow from its interior. “By making similar measurements at multiple locations on the lunar surface, we can reconstruct the thermal evolution of the Moon,” says Seiichi Nagihara. SELINE (Site-agnostic Energetic Lunar Ion and Neutron Environment) will study the lunar radiation environment at the surface, measuring galactic cosmic rays and neutrons produced in the lunar soil. These data will improve understanding of space weather on the Moon and inform safety planning for future astronauts.