NASA has awarded a contract worth $179 million to Firefly Aerospace to deliver six experiments to the lunar surface by 2028. As part of the agency’s broader Artemis campaign, Firefly will target landing in the Gruithuisen Domes on the near side of the Moon.
The contract is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to further understand the Moon’s environment and prepare for future human missions. The experiments will be conducted under CLPS, a program that supports the development of a growing lunar economy with American companies.
Firefly’s first lunar delivery is scheduled to launch in mid-January 2025 and will land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, on the northeast quadrant of the Moon’s near side. The second lunar mission includes two task orders: a satellite drop-off and a lunar orbital calibration source.
This new delivery in 2028 will send payloads to the Gruithuisen Domes and Sinus Viscositatus. Scientists have long been puzzled about how these domes formed, as they lack key ingredients like plate tectonics and oceans of water that are present on Earth. Firefly’s instruments will study geologic processes and lunar regolith, test solar cells, and characterize the neutron radiation environment.
The six experiments include a camera system to take pictures of the landing site from above, a robotic arm to collect samples of lunar regolith, and an experiment to investigate photovoltaic power conversion for future missions. NASA has also contracted to provide mobility for some scientific instruments on the lunar surface after landing.
This new award marks the fourth task order for Firefly Aerospace under CLPS. By supporting a growing lunar economy with American companies, NASA is leveraging entrepreneurial innovation in the commercial space industry to advance capabilities for science and exploration of the Moon.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release