NASA is recasting how to explore the Moon, and the new regulations are dramatically different. The anchor is the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which moves beyond the traditional, highly structured missions and harnesses the ingenuity and responsiveness of the private sector. The goal is simple: send a steady cadence of scientific payloads and experiments to areas of the Moon never before explored in depth.
NASA’s plan is straightforward—involve American companies in operating lunar delivery, enable them to create and operate their robotic landers, and take on a greater level of risk for more frequent, lower-cost missions. “CLPS is about empowering a growing lunar economy while making possible the scientific exploration that will pave the way for future human missions,” explains Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
The Gruithuisen Domes: Decoding the Moon
One of the most intriguing targets for the new generation of lunar research is the Gruithuisen Domes, a group of volcanic formations on the Moon’s near side. Scientists have been curious about these domes for decades. Flyover data indicate they consist of silica-rich minerals—like granite on Earth—but the Moon lacks the plate tectonics and oceans that typically create such rocks. Learning the origin of these domes may revolutionize what we understand about planetary evolution, not only for the Moon, but for terrestrial planets throughout the solar system.
The next Firefly Aerospace mission, sponsored by $179 million in NASA funding, will be bringing six experiments to the Gruithuisen Domes and the adjacent Sinus Viscositatus. For the first time, some of the instruments will have mobility, allowing them to move around the lunar surface and acquire data from several different positions.
Geological Investigations
At the center of the Gruithuisen Domes’ mission is the Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer, or Lunar-VISE, under the direction of Dr. Kerri Donaldson Hanna at the University of Central Florida. The suite comprises five instruments—two fixed and three roving—that will examine rocks and soil at the top of one of the domes. The aim is to determine their origin and learn about the geologic processes that formed early planetary bodies. The mission will also carry Heimdall, a versatile camera system to take high-resolution pictures from above the horizon to the landing site, and a robotic arm to gather and sort lunar soil samples.
Biological Experiments
NASA isn’t just looking for rocks. The agency is also investigating space biology with experiments such as the Lunar Explorer Instrument for Space Biology Applications (LEIA) and BioSentinel. LEIA, a CubeSat device, will transport yeast to the moon to observe how it reacts to radiation and lunar gravity—something that can’t be simulated on Earth or even on the International Space Station. Yeast is a strong model of human biology, particularly when it comes to exploring DNA damage and repair. These experiments are vital to knowing the health hazards astronauts will endure on long missions to the Moon and beyond.
Technology Demonstrations
Additional payloads will demonstrate new solar cell technologies, sample the neutron radiation environment, and make low-frequency radio observations to determine if natural or human activities impair scientific measurements. These demonstrations are not theoretical—they’re necessary for creating the systems that will enable a sustained human presence on the Moon.
The Commercial Partnerships’ Role in Lunar Exploration
CLPS is a significant change in the way NASA does business. Rather than dictating every step, the agency purchases services and allows commercial providers to drive the process. That has risks—cost overruns, schedule slippage, and the possibility that some missions will crash and burn. But it also brings more frequent, diverse missions and a more vibrant lunar economy.
As House Science Committee Chairman Brian Babin indicates, NASA plans to distribute small, high-value payloads over several missions. This “shots on goal” strategy means that even when a few missions do not succeed, the overall scientific payoff is still significant.
Building Toward a Sustainable Lunar Presence
The Artemis mission is not just about flag-planting. It’s about building the knowledge and infrastructure for a sustainable human presence on the Moon and one day ars. Hardware such as the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station, which monitors moonquakes and assists in mapping the internal structure of the Moon, and experiments such as LEAF, which examines how plants grow under lunar conditions, are paving the way for future explorers.
NASA’s new era of lunar science is ambitious, risk-taking, and highly collaborative. By integrating cutting-edge technology, commercial ingenuity, and a fervent commitment to solving fundamental questions about our nearest neighbor, the agency is paving the way for the next great chapter in space exploration.
