NASA is planning to land on the far side of the Moon for the first time ever. The mission will be a part of the Artemis program. The space agency has selected three new scientific investigation payloads for its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, reports Engadget.
Artemis program kickoff
Two of these payloads will carry probes and research equipment that will help astronomers study the far side of the Moon. These selections are the first call of proposals from the space agency’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM). The new mission comes under the Artemis program that aims to put astronauts back on the lunar surface.
“These selections add to our robust pipeline of science payloads and investigations to be delivered to the Moon through CLPS,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a statement.
“With each new PRISM selection, we will build on our capabilities to enable bigger and better science and prove technology which will help pave the way for returning astronauts to the Moon through Artemis.”
Mission data to aid future missions
NASA is targeting a large impact crater to land these payloads. The space agency has chosen the Schrödinger on the far side of the Moon. The payloads will have the Farside Seismic Suite that measures the seismic activity of the area. The Lunar Interior Temperature and Materials Suite will also be a part of the payload. It helps collect data on the internal heat flow of the Moon, notes JPL.
“These investigations demonstrate the power of CLPS to deliver big science in small packages, providing access to the lunar surface to address high priority science goals for the Moon,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division. While the new mission will be a first for NASA, it won’t be the only one to reach the far side of the moon. China’s Chang’e-4 mission was the first to reach there in 2019. The latest mission will help NASA gather important data that will help the space agency during future crewed lunar missions.
