NASA has selected Firefly Aerospace to deliver multiple payloads to the far side of the Moon, including a communication and data relay satellite for lunar orbit, a pathfinder experiment for low-frequency astrophysics, and a user terminal. The payloads are expected to weigh a total of 1,090 pounds and are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, valued at $112 million. This delivery targets a landing site on the far side of the Moon, which is considered one of the best locations in the solar system for making radio observations shielded from the noise generated by Earth. The observations need to take place during the lunar night. Firefly is responsible for end-to-end delivery services, including payload integration, delivery from Earth to the surface and orbit of the Moon, and NASA payload operations for the first lunar day. The CLPS initiative is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish sustainable exploration on the Moon.
NASA Selects Firefly Aerospace for Lunar Delivery to Far Side of Moon
NASA has chosen Firefly Aerospace, based in Cedar Park, Texas, to deliver multiple payloads to the far side of the Moon, including a satellite to orbit that area. The commercial lander will carry two agency payloads, as well as a communication and data relay satellite for lunar orbit in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).
The contract, worth just under $112 million, is a commercial lunar delivery that is set to launch in 2026 under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which is part of the Artemis program. The delivery aims to target a landing site on the far side of the Moon for the two payloads, a location that always faces away from Earth.
This is considered to be one of the best locations in the solar system for making radio observations, as it is shielded from the noise generated by Earth. Scientists hope to take advantage of this radio-quiet zone to make low-frequency astrophysics measurements of the cosmos, focusing on the “Dark Ages,” a cosmic era that began around 370,000 years after the Big Bang and lasted until the first stars and galaxies formed.
Since there is no line of sight and no direct communication with Earth from the far side of the Moon, Firefly will also be responsible for providing communication services. “NASA continues to look at ways to learn more about our universe,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Going to the lunar far side will help scientists understand some of the fundamental physics processes that occurred during the early evolution of the universe.”
Firefly will be responsible for end-to-end delivery services, including payload integration, delivery from Earth to the surface and orbit of the Moon, and NASA payload operations for the first lunar day. This is the second award to Firefly under the CLPS initiative, and the ninth surface delivery task award issued to a CLPS vendor, and the second to the far side.
NASA Selects Firefly Aerospace for Lunar Delivery to Far Side of Moon
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate has announced that Firefly Aerospace has been selected to deliver three payloads to the far side of the Moon. The payloads, which are expected to weigh a total of 1,090 pounds (494.5 kilograms), include a communications and data relay satellite, a pathfinder experiment for low-frequency astrophysics, and a user terminal.
Payloads
Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night (LuSEE-Night)
LuSEE-Night, a pathfinder experiment for low-frequency astrophysics, is a collaboration between the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University of California, Berkeley, Space Science Laboratory, and NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. It will use deployable antennas and radio receivers to observe sensitive radio waves from the Dark Ages for the first time, potentially offering a first look at a previously unobserved era in our cosmic history.
Lunar Pathfinder
The Lunar Pathfinder, developed by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, is a communications and data relay satellite that will provide communication services to lunar missions via S-band and UHF links to lunar assets on the surface and in orbit around the Moon, as well as an X-band link to Earth. The European Space Agency (ESA) collaborated with NASA for delivery through the CLPS initiative.
User Terminal (UT)
The User Terminal (UT) payload is in development by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. It will institute a new standard for S-Band Proximity-1 space communication protocol and establish space heritage. It will be used to commission the Lunar Pathfinder and ensure its readiness to provide communication services to LuSEE-Night.
CLPS Initiative
The contract for the delivery of the three payloads is worth just under $112 million and is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Firefly Aerospace will be responsible for end-to-end delivery services, including payload integration, delivery from Earth to the surface and orbit of the Moon, and NASA payload operations for the first lunar day.
Significance
Joel Kearns, the deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said, “This lunar landing should enable new scientific discoveries from the far side of the Moon during the lunar night. This particular group of payloads should not only generate new science but should be a pathfinder for future investigations exploiting this unique vantage point in our solar system.”
NASA’s exploration efforts continue with commercial deliveries to the lunar surface by several providers. Future CLPS deliveries could include more science experiments and technology demonstrations that further support the agency’s Artemis program.
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