Two groundbreaking technologies developed at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, will be launching to the Moon next month aboard two flights as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
The Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL), a laser-based sensor that provides precision vector velocity and altitude of space vehicles, will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than January 8 on Astrobotics’ Peregrine 1 lander aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket.
Peregrine 1 is expected to touch down on the lunar surface in late February, with NDL playing a pivotal role in its navigation and precise landing on the lunar surface.
Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander will also carry the NDL payload as a backup to its primary navigation systems.
Another critical technology launching to the Moon is the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS), an array of small cameras placed around a lunar lander to take images of the interaction between the lander’s engine plume and the Moon’s surface. SCALPSS will help researchers more accurately predict the effects of landing larger, heavier payloads in proximity to one other on the Moon and eventually other destinations like Mars.
SCALPSS 1.0 will also launch on the Nova-C lander. Both NDL and SCALPSS 1.0 are scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in February 2024 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
