Lunar Trailblazer

Overview: NASA's Lunar Trailblazer targets one of the most surprising discoveries of the decade: water on the Moon. As a NASA SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) program mission selection, Lunar Trailblazer achieves critical advancements for science as a lower-budget, ride-along mission. Science objectives include studying the form, abundance, and distribution of water on the Moon, as well as the lunar water cycle. Lunar Trailblazer is scheduled to launch in early 2025. The mission PI is Bethany Ehlmann (Caltech).

Links

Lunar Trailblazer Homepage

IPAC is leading the Mission Operation System effort for Lunar Trailblazer. This includes planning, scheduling, and sequencing of all science, instrument, and spacecraft activities for LTB during the nominal mission.

The MOS includes personnel from IPAC and JPL and also students from Caltech and Pasadena City College. IPAC is also providing facilities in support of Mission Operations for LTB.

Science data processing will be done in the Bruce Murray Laboratory for Planetary Visualization at Caltech.

Mission News

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How NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Could Decipher the Moon’s Icy Secrets

Project News • October 29th, 2024

There’s water on the Moon, but scientists only have a general idea of where it is and what form it is in. A...

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NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Spacecraft Completes Environmental Testing

Project News • September 16th, 2024

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft recently completed the shaking, chilling, baking, and other testing needed to...

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Gets Final Payload for Moon Water Hunt

Project News • August 16th, 2023

The spacecraft’s Lunar Thermal Mapper science instrument will work with an imaging spectrometer to help researchers...

Moon Gazing: The Long Story of Lunar Research at Caltech

Project News • May 15th, 2023

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission marks a new chapter in Caltech’s enduring exploration of Earth’s closest celestial...

Moon Water Imager Integrated With NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer

Project News • December 22nd, 2022

Lunar Trailblazer is one step closer to launching next year. Earlier this month, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory ...

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Lunar Trailblazer Is Building the Flight System to Fly to the Moon

Project News • August 31st, 2021

On July 15th 2021, Lunar Trailblazer successfully passed its Critical Design Review (CDR). This review incorporated...

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