Space
September 5, 2024
Unicorn News: The Latest in Space - September 05, 2024
NASA, ESA, and JAXA are collaborating on a GPS-like constellation around the moon, aiming to support upcoming lunar missions. Additionally, Intuitive Machines will return to the moon with NASA payloads as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
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() Moon GPS and Lunar Missions Advance with International Collaboration and Commercial Partnerships
NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are collaborating on a GPS-like constellation around the moon, with deployment plans set for the end of the 2020s. This initiative, under the framework called LunaNet, includes NASA’s Lunar Communication Relay and Navigation System, ESA’s Moonlight Initiative, and JAXA’s Lunar Navigation Satellite System. The goal is to support upcoming lunar missions, including NASA's Artemis Program and China's lunar aspirations. Additionally, the International Astronomical Union has emphasized cooperation in establishing a lunar timescale and other elements of lunar Positioning, Navigation, and Timing systems. In another development, Intuitive Machines will return to the moon with more NASA payloads as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. NASA will pay $117 million for Intuitive Machines to design and build a lander to launch to the moon’s south pole in 2027, carrying six science payloads.
