Lunar Trailblazer: NASA’s Upcoming Moon Mission Aims to Locate Water Ice
LITTLETON, Colorado — NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, a university-led lunar orbiter, is nearing its launch to pinpoint water or liquid water trapped in rocks on the moon’s surface. This mission is scheduled to aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than February 26, 2025, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Lunar Trailblazer will share a ride to the moon with the primary payload, the Athena lunar lander built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines. During its journey, the spacecraft will utilize Lockheed Martin’s Curio platform, designed for efficient deep-space exploration.
Water Signature Detection
Led by Caltech professor Bethany Ehlmann, the Lunar Trailblazer will focus on finding micro-cold traps in permanently shadowed regions on the moon, some as small as a football field. Additionally, the spacecraft will measure illuminated areas over time to understand fluctuations in water signatures as the lunar surface temperature varies.
This mission builds on the heritage of NASA’s GRAIL mission, which launched twin spacecraft to map lunar gravity. The Curio architecture developed by Lockheed Martin indicates a continued focus on innovative yet cost-efficient spacecraft designs for exploration.
(Image credit: Isabelle Adamczewski for Lunar Trailblazer)
Launch Window and Mission Details
Lunar Trailblazer is part of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program, designed to gather scientific data as it orbits the moon. The mission is operated by Caltech and Pasadena City College students at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center based in Caltech.
During its journey to the moon, the spacecraft will use the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) and the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM) from the University of Oxford to conduct its primary scientific missions.
Depending on the launch date, the spacecraft is expected to reach the moon in four to seven months and continue its mission for a year or more. At the end of its service, Lunar Trailblazer will purposefully crash into the moon, marking a controlled “surface disposal.”
(Image credit: Barbara David)
Raising Risk for Cost Efficiency
Lunar Trailblazer is a low-cost mission that employs a “single string spacecraft architecture,” which means it doesn’t have redundant systems. This approach allows the mission to stay within budget constraints but increases the risk involved.
The spacecraft uses commercial off-the-shelf parts instead of custom-designed ones, a strategy that balances cost efficiency with mission effectiveness.
Understanding Luna’s Water Cycle
Scientists are eager to understand how water behaves on the moon, including its freezing, thawing, and evaporating processes. This knowledge is crucial for future lunar missions and establishing a sustained human presence on the moon, NASA’s Artemis program goal.
The moon’s water resources could provide essential materials for life support and fuel, transforming moon exploration from temporary missions to permanent outposts.
