Lunar Trailblazer Spacecraft

Lunar Trailblazer Spacecraft Latest News

Recently, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral carrying NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer orbiter. 

About Lunar Trailblazer Spacecraft

• It is an initiative of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• Objective: It is being sent to find and map water on the moon’s surface.
• It is about the size of a dishwasher and relies on a relatively small propulsion system.
• It weighs about 200 kg and measures about 3.5 metres wide when its solar panels are fully deployed.
• It is scheduled to perform a series of moon flybys and looping orbits over a span of several months to position itself to map the surface in detail.
• It eventually will orbit at an altitude of roughly 100 km and collect high-resolution images of targeted areas to determine the form, distribution and abundance of water and to better understand the lunar water cycle.
• It is carrying two instruments to achieve its science objectives:
  • High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3): It will look at the moon’s surface for a telltale pattern of light given off by water.
  • Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM): It will map and measure the lunar surface temperature.
• When used in conjunction, these two instruments provide the ability to simultaneously identify the various forms of water on the moon, mineralogy, and temperature.
• It was built by Lockheed Martin’s space division.

Lunar Trailblazer Spacecraft FAQs

Q1: Why is the lunar trailblazer important?

Ans: The small satellite mission will map the Moon to help scientists better understand where its water is, what form it's in, how much is there, and how it changes over time.

Q2: Who is working on the Lunar Trailblazer?

Ans: The Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft will be built and tested by Lockheed Martin.

Source: TH