3 min read<\/p>\n
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/lpv-on-a-lander-closeup-jpg.png?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nLunar Planet Vac, or LPV, is one of 10 payloads set to be carried to the Moon by the Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander in 2025. LPV is designed to efficiently collect and transfer lunar soil from the surface to other science and analysis instruments on the Moon.<\/div>\nPhoto courtesy Firefly Aerospace<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAmong all the challenges of voyaging to and successfully landing on other worlds, the effective collection and study of soil and rock samples cannot be underestimated.<\/p>\n
To quickly and thoroughly collect and analyze samples during next-generation Artemis<\/a> Moon missions and future journeys to Mars and other planetary bodies, NASA seeks a paradigm shift in techniques that will more cost-effectively obtain samples, conduct in situ<\/em> testing<\/a> with or without astronaut oversight, and permit real-time sample data return to researchers on Earth.<\/p>\nThat\u2019s the planned task of an innovative technology demonstration called Lunar PlanetVac (LPV), one of 10 NASA payloads flying aboard the next lunar delivery for the agency\u2019s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services<\/a>) initiative. LPV will be carried to the surface by Firefly Aerospace\u2019s Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander<\/a>.<\/p>\nDeveloped by Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company of Altadena, California, LPV is a pneumatic, compressed gas-powered sample acquisition and delivery system \u2013 essentially, a vacuum cleaner that brings its own gas. It\u2019s designed to efficiently collect and transfer lunar soil from the surface to other science instruments or sample return containers without reliance on gravity. Secured to the Blue Ghost lunar lander, LPV\u2019s sampling head will use pressurized gas to stir up the lunar regolith, or soil, creating a small tornado. If successful, material from the dust cloud it creates then will be funneled into a transfer tube via the payload\u2019s secondary pneumatic jets and collected in a sample container. The entire autonomous operation is expected to take just seconds and maintains planetary protection<\/a> protocols. Collected regolith \u2013 including particles up to 1 cm in size, or roughly 0.4 inches \u2013 will be sieved and photographed inside the sample container with the findings transmitted back to Earth in real time.<\/p>\nThe innovative approach to sample collection and in situ<\/em> testing could prove to be a game-changer, said Dennis Harris, who manages the LPV payload for the CLPS initiative at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n\u201cThere\u2019s no digging, no mechanical arm to wear out requiring servicing or replacement \u2013 it functions like a vacuum cleaner,\u201d Harris said. \u201cThe technology on this CLPS payload could benefit the search for water, helium, and other resources and provide a clearer picture of in situ <\/em>materials available to NASA and its partners for fabricating lunar habitats and launch pads, expanding scientific knowledge and the practical exploration of the solar system every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\nUnder the CLPS model, NASA is investing in commercial delivery services to the Moon to enable industry growth and support long-term lunar exploration. As a primary customer for CLPS deliveries, NASA aims to be one of many customers on future flights. NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the development of seven of the 10 CLPS payloads carried on Firefly\u2019s Blue Ghost lunar lander.<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/lpv-on-a-lander-closeup-jpg.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>Among all the challenges of voyaging to and successfully landing on other worlds, the effective collection and study of soil and rock samples cannot be underestimated.<\/p>\n
To quickly and thoroughly collect and analyze samples during next-generation Artemis<\/a> Moon missions and future journeys to Mars and other planetary bodies, NASA seeks a paradigm shift in techniques that will more cost-effectively obtain samples, conduct in situ<\/em> testing<\/a> with or without astronaut oversight, and permit real-time sample data return to researchers on Earth.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the planned task of an innovative technology demonstration called Lunar PlanetVac (LPV), one of 10 NASA payloads flying aboard the next lunar delivery for the agency\u2019s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services<\/a>) initiative. LPV will be carried to the surface by Firefly Aerospace\u2019s Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander<\/a>.<\/p>\n Developed by Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company of Altadena, California, LPV is a pneumatic, compressed gas-powered sample acquisition and delivery system \u2013 essentially, a vacuum cleaner that brings its own gas. It\u2019s designed to efficiently collect and transfer lunar soil from the surface to other science instruments or sample return containers without reliance on gravity. Secured to the Blue Ghost lunar lander, LPV\u2019s sampling head will use pressurized gas to stir up the lunar regolith, or soil, creating a small tornado. If successful, material from the dust cloud it creates then will be funneled into a transfer tube via the payload\u2019s secondary pneumatic jets and collected in a sample container. The entire autonomous operation is expected to take just seconds and maintains planetary protection<\/a> protocols. Collected regolith \u2013 including particles up to 1 cm in size, or roughly 0.4 inches \u2013 will be sieved and photographed inside the sample container with the findings transmitted back to Earth in real time.<\/p>\n The innovative approach to sample collection and in situ<\/em> testing could prove to be a game-changer, said Dennis Harris, who manages the LPV payload for the CLPS initiative at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no digging, no mechanical arm to wear out requiring servicing or replacement \u2013 it functions like a vacuum cleaner,\u201d Harris said. \u201cThe technology on this CLPS payload could benefit the search for water, helium, and other resources and provide a clearer picture of in situ <\/em>materials available to NASA and its partners for fabricating lunar habitats and launch pads, expanding scientific knowledge and the practical exploration of the solar system every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n Under the CLPS model, NASA is investing in commercial delivery services to the Moon to enable industry growth and support long-term lunar exploration. As a primary customer for CLPS deliveries, NASA aims to be one of many customers on future flights. NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the development of seven of the 10 CLPS payloads carried on Firefly\u2019s Blue Ghost lunar lander.<\/p>\n