NASA’s CubeSat for Moon observation ready to Launch

(ORDO NEWS) — NASA‘s CubeSat is ready to go into lunar orbit. Data from Lunar IceCube, one of CubeSat’s satellites that is barely the size of a shoebox, will have a huge impact on lunar science.

The satellite is integrated into the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and is ready to fly to the Moon as part of the unmanned Artemis I mission, which is launching this year.

In lunar orbit, the Lunar IceCube will use a spectrometer to study lunar ice. Earlier missions have found water ice on the Moon, but the Lunar IceCube will expand NASA’s knowledge of its dynamics.

Scientists are interested in the absorption and release of water from regolith – the rocky and dusty surface of the moon. With the help of Lunar IceCube, which will explore this process, NASA will be able to map these changes.

Lunar IceCube will also study the Moon’s exosphere. By understanding the dynamics of water and other substances on the Moon, scientists will be able to predict seasonal changes in lunar ice that could affect its use as a resource in the future.

All this will be achieved with an efficient and economical CubeSat weighing only 14 kg. Lunar IceCube is one of several CubeSats that will travel to the Moon aboard Artemis I. These small satellites, along with future Artemis missions, will expand our knowledge of life and work on the Moon.

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