![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/firefly-blue-ghost-mission-3-rendering.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>NASA continues to advance its campaign to explore more of the Moon than ever before, awarding Firefly Aerospace $179 million to deliver six experiments to the lunar surface. This fourth task order for Firefly will target landing in the Gruithuisen Domes on the near side of the Moon in 2028.<\/p>\n
As part of the agency\u2019s broader\u00a0Artemis<\/a> campaign, Firefly will deliver a group of science experiments and technology demonstrations under NASA\u2019s CLPS initiative, or Commercial Lunar Payload Services, to these lunar domes, an area of ancient lava flows, to better understand planetary processes and evolution. Through CLPS, NASA is furthering our understanding of the Moon\u2019s environment and helping prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agency\u2019s Moon to Mars exploration approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe CLPS initiative carries out U.S. scientific and technical studies on the surface of the Moon by robot explorers. As NASA prepares for future human exploration of the Moon, the CLPS initiative continues to support a growing lunar economy with American companies,\u201d said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. \u201cUnderstanding the formation of the Gruithuisen Domes, as well as the ancient lava flows surrounding the landing site, will help the U.S. answer important questions about the lunar surface.\u201d<\/p>\n Firefly\u2019s first lunar delivery<\/a> is scheduled to launch no earlier than mid-January 2025 and will land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, on the northeast quadrant of the Moon\u2019s near side. Firefly\u2019s second lunar mission<\/a> includes two task orders: a lunar orbit drop-off of a satellite combined with a delivery to the lunar surface on the far side and a delivery of a lunar orbital calibration source, scheduled in 2026.<\/p>\n This new delivery in 2028 will send payloads to the Gruithuisen Domes and the nearby Sinus Viscositatus. The Gruithuisen Domes have long been suspected to be formed by a magma rich in silica, similar in composition to granite. Granitic rocks form easily on Earth due to plate tectonics and oceans of water. The Moon lacks these key ingredients, so lunar scientists have been left to wonder how these domes formed and evolved over time. For the first time, as part of this task order, NASA also has contracted to provide \u201cmobility,\u201d or roving, for some of the scientific instruments on the lunar surface after landing. This will enable new types of U.S. scientific investigations from CLPS.<\/p>\n \u201cFirefly will deliver six instruments to understand the landing site and surrounding vicinity,\u201d said Chris Culbert, manager of the CLPS initiative at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. \u201cThese instruments will study geologic processes and lunar regolith, test solar cells, and characterize the neutron radiation environment, supplying invaluable information as NASA works to establish a long-term presence on the Moon.\u201d<\/p>\n The instruments, collectively expected to be about 215 pounds (97 kilograms) in mass, include:\u00a0<\/p>\n 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. 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. Two upcoming CLPS flights scheduled to launch in early 2025 will deliver NASA payloads to the Moon\u2019s near side and south polar region, respectively. https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/clps<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Alise Fisher Natalia Riusech \/ Nilufar Ramji\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n
Learn more about CLPS and Artemis at:<\/p>\n
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
natalia.s.riusech@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n