For the first time in history, NASA employed the signals of GPS on the Moon and succeeded. It is a milestone in space history, as for the first time in history, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals were being received and monitored on the Moon’s surface. It is opening the doors to improved navigation for future missions to the Moon and much more.
With additional testing and operational deployments, the technology can transform space exploration with improved navigation solutions for future lunar and deep-space missions.
NASA successfully acquires GNSS signals on the Moon
On March 3, NASA and the Italian Space Agency made history with the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE). The experiment proved successful in recording and monitoring GPS signals on the Moon, a triumph in space navigation. Using GNSS signals, normally depended upon for Earth’s navigation, on the Moon has potential for new mission possibilities for future lunar missions. This accomplishment showcases the ability of accurate positioning, velocity, and timing in space, which will be vital for future Artemis missions and other deep space missions, enhancing autonomous navigation and mission precision.
“This is a very exciting discovery for lunar navigation, and we hope to leverage this capability for future missions”, says Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA SCaN.
NASA’s GNSS signals to transform Artemis and lunar navigation
This new ability will be priceless for future Artemis missions or other lunar missions, NASA asserts. To have the ability to calculate exactly and automatically position, velocity, and time from GNSS signals will enhance space navigation. This ability has the potential to lead to more accurate landings, safer exploration, and better planning of mission activity on the Moon and across the solar system.
What are GNSS signals?
Earth satellites relay Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals. The sent signals conveyed essential positioning, navigation, and timing data in radio wave form. Various GNSS constellations, including GPS (Global Positioning System), Galileo, BeiDou, and GLONASS, are operated by various governments around the globe to provide navigation services for various applications, including aviation, shipping, and road transport.
LuGRE achieves historic GNSS navigation on the Moon
Source: NASA
Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) was aboard as Blue Ghost was sent to the Moon aboard Firefly Aerospace. Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully touched down on the Moon’s surface on March 2, with a total of 10 NASA payloads aboard, including LuGRE. The first science activities on the lunar surface were initiated by NASA scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, shortly after landing.
LuGRE obtained a great navigation fix on March 3, having been approximately 225,000 miles (2.25 lakh miles) away from Earth. For the first time in history, GNSS signals had been employed for secure navigation on the Moon. The system can operate continuously for 14 days, and there is potential for even more possibilities for greater GNSS feats.
LuGRE’s remarkable milestones
Prior to landing on the moon, LuGRE broke records. It recorded a record-high maximum altitude GNSS signal ever seen at an altitude of almost 210,000 miles (2.10 lakh miles) above the Earth on January 21. It was a record because it surpassed the previous record held by NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission. LuGRE continued to soar and, on 20 February, entered lunar orbit at an altitude of 243,000 miles (2.43 lakh miles) over the Earth. The success implies that GNSS signals might be exploited for navigation even in cislunar space, the space between the Earth and the Moon.
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