LunIR CubeSat Will Fly to the Moon on Artemis I
The LunIR 6U satellite has been delivered to the Kennedy Space Center by Terran Orbital for integration aboard the Artemis I rocket for a trip to the Moon.
"LunIR will help us understand the truly infinite opportunities in lunar and Martian travel. Terran Orbital is thankful for the opportunity to develop and operate the spacecraft for this groundbreaking mission.”
Marc Bell, Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer.
LunIR will fly by the Moon and collect surface thermography as a secondary payload on Artemis 1 – a test mission for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS). After the flyby, the CubeSat will conduct technology demonstrations related to deep-space operations.
LunIR is Terran Orbital’s second lunar satellite with the currently Moon-bound CAPSTONE being the first. Terran Orbital will guide LunIR via a “moon camera” vision guidance system that digests a novel Lockheed Martin algorithm to locate pointing targets.
The Lunar InfraRed imaging spacecraft, also known as LunIR, is the result of a joint effort between Lockheed Martin and Terran Orbital. Lockheed Martin developed LunIR’s infrared sensor and cryocooler to operate in both day and night, mapping the lunar surface, detecting materials, and collecting thermal signatures. The company also provides the overall systems engineering and mission planning. Terran Orbital designed and built the spacecraft and is responsible for integration and mission assurance.
The mission’s primary objective is a technology demonstration whose findings will potentially address NASA’s strategic knowledge gaps (SKGs) for surface characterization, remote sensing, and site selection observations for the Moon, as well as long-duration missions to Mars. The LunIR sensor could be an important tool for astronauts returning to the Moon, and going beyond to Mars.
“Working alongside Lockheed Martin and NASA is always a privilege,” said Marc Bell, Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer. “The technologies Lockheed and NASA bring to the table are second to none. LunIR will help us understand the truly infinite opportunities in lunar and Martian travel. Terran Orbital is thankful for the opportunity to develop and operate the spacecraft for this groundbreaking mission.”
“We look forward to continuing to work with Terran Orbital on this important technology demonstration, and we’re eager to see what images LunIR collects of the Moon once it’s on its way,” said John Ricks, Lockheed Martin program manager for LunIR.
LunIR includes two deployable solar panels. The 24-pound satellite will communicate with Earth via ground stations operated by Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) in Punta Arenas, Chile; Svalbard, Norway; and Troll station, Antarctica.
(Image provided with Terran Orbital news release)