Maiden trip to Moon’s South Pole!
22 July 2013 11:17 PM GMT
The world’s first mission to the South Pole of the Moon to install a permanent telescope on the lunar surface, to aid professional and amateur researchers, has been announced.
The private enterprise mission, announced by the International Lunar Observatory Association and Moon Express, will be both scientific and commercial, and plans to deliver the International Lunar Observatory (ILO) aboard a Moon Express robotic lander.
Moon Express will also utilise the mission to explore the Moon’s South Pole for mineral resources and water. Lunar probes have provided compelling evidence of mineral and volatile deposits in the Moon’s southern polar region where energy and resources may be abundant, Phys.org reported.
The ILO, with its 2-metre dish antenna, will be the world’s first instrument to conduct international astrophysical observations and communications from the lunar surface, providing scientific research, commercial broadcasting and enabling Galaxy 21st Century education and ‘citizen science’ on the Moon.
The announcement was made during a NASA Lunar Science Institute conference at NASA.
The private enterprise mission, announced by the International Lunar Observatory Association and Moon Express, will be both scientific and commercial, and plans to deliver the International Lunar Observatory (ILO) aboard a Moon Express robotic lander.
Moon Express will also utilise the mission to explore the Moon’s South Pole for mineral resources and water. Lunar probes have provided compelling evidence of mineral and volatile deposits in the Moon’s southern polar region where energy and resources may be abundant, Phys.org reported.
The ILO, with its 2-metre dish antenna, will be the world’s first instrument to conduct international astrophysical observations and communications from the lunar surface, providing scientific research, commercial broadcasting and enabling Galaxy 21st Century education and ‘citizen science’ on the Moon.
The announcement was made during a NASA Lunar Science Institute conference at NASA.
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