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Moonlight: bringing connectivity to the Moon
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By NASA
NASA/Shawn Quinn On May 8, 2022, NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems’ Program Manager Shawn Quinn captured this crop of a full frame image of the Hadley–Apennine region of Earth’s Moon including the Apollo 15 landing site (very near the edge of the shadow of one of the lunar mountains in the area). Building upon the pioneers from the Apollo Program, Artemis crews will plan to verify capabilities for humans to explore deep space and pave the way for long-term exploration and science on the lunar surface.
Read the Artemis blog for the latest mission updates.
Image credit: NASA/Shawn Quinn
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By NASA
This artist’s concept of Blue Ghost Mission 4 shows Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander and NASA payloads in the lunar South Pole Region, through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative.Credit: Firefly Aerospace NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace of Cedar Park, Texas, $176.7 million to deliver two rovers and three scientific instruments to the lunar surface as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign to explore more of the Moon than ever before.
This delivery is the first time NASA will use multiple rovers and a variety of stationary instruments, in a collaborative effort with the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) and the University of Bern, to help us understand the chemical composition of the lunar South Pole region and discover the potential for using resources available in permanently shadowed regions of the Moon.
“Through CLPS, NASA is embracing a new era of lunar exploration, with commercial companies leading the way,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “These investigations will produce critical knowledge required for long-term sustainability and contribute to a deeper understanding of the lunar surface, allowing us to meet our scientific and exploration goals for the South Pole region of the Moon for the benefit of all.”
Under the new CLPS task order, Firefly is tasked with delivering end-to-end payload services to the lunar surface, with a period of performance from Tuesday to March 29, 2030. The company’s lunar lander is targeted to land at the Moon’s South Pole region in 2029.
This is Firefly’s fifth task order award and fourth lunar mission through CLPS. Firefly’s first delivery successfully landed on the Moon’s near side in March 2025 with 10 NASA payloads. The company’s second mission, targeting a launch in 2026, includes a lunar orbit drop-off of a satellite combined with a delivery to the lunar surface on the far side. Firefly’s third lunar mission will target landing in the Gruithuisen Domes on the near side of the Moon in 2028, delivering six experiments to study that enigmatic lunar volcanic terrain.
“As NASA sends both humans and robots to further explore the Moon, CLPS deliveries to the lunar South Pole region will provide a better understanding of the exploration environment, accelerating progress toward establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon, as well as eventual human missions to Mars,” said Adam Schlesinger, manager of the CLPS initiative at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The rovers and instruments that are part of this newly awarded flight include:
MoonRanger is an autonomous microrover that will explore the lunar surface. MoonRanger will collect images and telemetry data while demonstrating autonomous capabilities for lunar polar exploration. Its onboard Neutron Spectrometer System instrument will study hydrogen-bearing volatiles and the composition of lunar regolith, or soil.
Lead development organizations: NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and Carnegie Mellon University and Astrobotic, both in Pittsburgh. Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies will use enhanced stereo imaging photogrammetry, active illumination, and ejecta impact detection sensors to capture the impact of the rocket exhaust plume on lunar regolith as the lander descends on the Moon’s surface. The high-resolution stereo images will help predict lunar regolith erosion and ejecta characteristics, as bigger, heavier spacecraft and hardware are delivered to the Moon near each other in the future.
Lead development organization: NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Laser Retroreflector Array is an array of eight retroreflectors on an aluminum support structure that enables precision laser ranging, a measurement of the distance between the orbiting or landing spacecraft to the reflector on the lander. The array is a passive optical instrument, which functions without power, and will serve as a permanent location marker on the Moon for decades to come.
Lead development organization: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. A CSA Rover is designed to access and explore remote South Pole areas of interest, including permanently shadowed regions, and to survive at least one lunar night. The CSA rover has stereo cameras, a neutron spectrometer, two imagers (visible to near-infrared), a radiation micro-dosimeter, and a NASA-contributed thermal imaging radiometer developed by the Applied Physics Laboratory. These instruments will advance our understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the lunar surface, the geological history of the Moon, and potential resources such as water ice. It will also improve our understanding of the environmental challenges that await future astronauts and their life support systems.
Lead development organization: CSA. Laser Ionization Mass Spectrometer is a mass spectrometer that will analyze the element and isotope composition of lunar regolith. The instrument will utilize a Firefly-built robotic arm and Titanium shovel that will deploy to the lunar surface and support regolith excavation. The system will then funnel the sample into its collection unit and use a pulsed laser beam to identify differences in chemistry compared to samples studied in the past, like those collected during the Apollo program. Grain-by-grain analyses will provide a better understanding of the chemical complexity of the landing site and the surrounding area, offering insights into the evolution of the Moon.
Lead development organization: University of Bern in Switzerland. Through the CLPS initiative, NASA purchases lunar landing and surface operations services from American companies. The agency uses CLPS to send scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to advance capabilities for science, exploration, or commercial development of the Moon, and to support human exploration beyond to Mars. By supporting a robust cadence of lunar deliveries, NASA will continue to enable a growing lunar economy while leveraging the entrepreneurial innovation of the commercial space industry.
To learn more about CLPS and Artemis, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/clps
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Alise Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
Nilufar Ramji
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Jul 29, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Artemis Earth's Moon View the full article
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA researcher Darren Nash monitors experimental communications equipment on NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 during a flight test over NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland on April 17, 2025.NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna NASA engineers are exploring how the technology used in existing cellphone networks could support the next generation of aviation.
In April and May, researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland built two specialized radio systems to study how well fifth-generation cellular network technology, known as 5G, can handle the demands of air taxi communications.
“The goal of this research is to understand how wireless cellphone networks could be leveraged by the aviation industry to enable new frontiers of aviation operations,” said Casey Bakula, lead researcher for the project, who is based at Glenn. “The findings of this work could serve as a blueprint for future aviation communication network providers, like satellite navigation providers and telecommunications companies, and help guide the Federal Aviation Administration’s plan for future advanced air mobility network requirements in cities.”
Instead of developing entirely new standards for air taxi communications, NASA is looking to see if the aviation industry could leverage the expertise, experience, and investments made by the cellular industry towards the development of reliable, secure, and scalable aviation networks. If 5G networks could provide an “80% solution” to the challenge, researchers can focus on identifying the remaining 20% that would need to be adapted to meet the needs of the air taxi industry.
NASA researchers Darren Nash, left, and Brian Kachmar review signal data captured from experimental communications equipment onboard NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 on April 17, 2025.NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna 5G networks can manage a lot of data at once and have very low signal transmission delay compared to satellite systems, which could make them ideal for providing location data between aircraft in busy city skies. Ground antennas and networks in cities can help air taxis stay connected as they fly over buildings, making urban flights safer.
To conduct their tests, NASA researchers set up a system that meets current 5G standards and would allow for future improvements in performance. They placed one radio in the agency’s Pilatus PC-12 aircraft and set up another radio on the roof of Glenn’s Aerospace Communications Facility building. With an experimental license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct flights, the team tested signal transmissions using a radio frequency band the Federal Communications Commission dedicated for the safe testing of drones and other uncrewed aircraft systems.
During testing, NASA’s PC-12 flew various flight patterns near Glenn. The team used some of the flight patterns to measure how the signal could weaken as the aircraft moved away from the ground station. Other patterns focused on identifying areas where nearby buildings might block signals, potentially causing interference or dead zones. The team also studied how the aircraft’s angle and position relative to the ground station affected the quality of the connection.
These initial tests provided the NASA team an opportunity to integrate its new C-Band radio testbed onto the aircraft, verify its basic functionality, and the operation of the corresponding ground station, as well as refine the team’s test procedures. The successful completion of these activities allows the team to begin research on how 5G standards and technologies could be utilized in existing aviation bands to provide air-to-ground and aircraft-to-aircraft communications services.
Experimental communications equipment is secure and ready for flight test evaluation in the back of NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland on April 17, 2025. NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna In addition to meeting these initial test objectives, the team also recorded and verified the presence of propeller modulation. This is a form of signal degradation caused by the propeller blades of the aircraft partially blocking radio signals as they rotate. The effect becomes more significant as aircraft fly at the lower altitudes air taxis are expected to operate. The airframe configuration and number of propellers on some of the new air taxi models may cause increased propeller modulation effects, so NASA researchers will study this further.
NASA research will provide baseline performance data that the agency will share with the FAA and the advanced air mobility sector of the aviation industry, which explores new air transportation options. Future research looking into cellular network usage will focus on issues such as maximum data speeds, signal-to-noise ratios, and synchronization between aircraft and ground systems. Researchers will be able to use NASA’s baseline data to measure the potential of new changes or features to communications systems.
Future aircraft will need to carry essential communications systems for command and control, passenger safety, and coordination with other aircraft to avoid collisions. Reliable wireless networks offer the possibility for safe operations of air taxis, particular in cities and other crowded areas.
This work is led by NASAs Air Mobility Pathfinders project under the Airspace Operations and Safety Program in support of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission.
NASA Pilot Mark Russell emerges from NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 after mobile communication tests at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland on April 17, 2025. NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna Share
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Last Updated Jul 23, 2025 Related Terms
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By NASA
The Moon photographed from the International Space Station, pictured in between exterior International Space Station hardware (Credit: NASA). NASA is seeking proposals from U.S. companies about innovative Moon and Mars proximity relay communication and navigation capabilities as the agency aims to use private industry satellite communications services for emerging missions.
On July 7, NASA issued a Request for Proposals, soliciting advanced industry concepts to establish high-bandwidth, high-reliability communications infrastructure between the lunar surface and an Earth-based operations control center, along with concepts that establish a critical communications relay on the Martian surface and transfer data between Mars and the Earth.
“These partnerships foster important advancements in communications and navigation,” said Greg Heckler, deputy program manager for capability development within NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program. “It allows our astronauts, our rovers, our spacecraft – all NASA missions – to expand humanity’s exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”
NASA’s request directly supports the agency’s long-term vision of an interoperable space communication and navigation infrastructure that enables science, exploration, and economic development in space. NASA, as one of many customers, will establish a marketplace that supports cost-effective commercial services involving communication needs on and around the Moon and Mars.
Responses are due by 5 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 13.
NASA’s SCaN Program serves as the management office for the agency’s space communications and navigation. More than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on SCaN’s two networks, the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network, to support astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions, monitor Earth’s weather, support lunar exploration, and uncover the solar system and beyond.
Learn more about NASA’s SCaN Program at:
https://www.nasa.gov/scan
News Media Contact:
Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov
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