NASA Taps Firefly Aerospace for Lunar-VISE Mission to the Moon’s Surface

NASA has chosen Firefly Aerospace as the provider for the lander and rover to transport UCF’s Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer (Lunar-VISE) payload to the Moon’s Gruithuisen Domes, aiming to explore the origins of these enigmatic silica-rich volcanic formations.

Over a span of 10 Earth days, the multi-instrument payload developed by BAE Systems and Arizona State University (ASU) will collect data on the lunar regolith to ascertain how it could be utilized as a resource in upcoming lunar surface explorations.

Firefly Aerospace is among the American contractors with whom NASA is collaborating to deliver payloads to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. These organizations can compete for NASA contracts, enabling prompt deliveries and pioneering scientific research and exploration.

“The CLPS initiative conducts U.S. scientific and technological investigations on the Moon’s surface using robotic explorers,” remarked Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration and head of NASA’s Exploration Science Strategy and Integration Office, in a press announcement. “As NASA prepares for future human missions to the Moon, the CLPS program continues to bolster the burgeoning lunar economy in partnership with American businesses. Understanding the emergence of the Gruithuisen Domes and the ancient lava flows surrounding the landing area will aid the U.S. in addressing vital inquiries about the lunar surface.”

Firefly received its fourth task order valued at $179 million to deliver six experiments, including Lunar-VISE, to the Gruithuisen Domes on the near side of the Moon in 2028.

Comparable silicic volcanic domes on Earth arise from factors not present on the Moon, such as plate tectonics and oceans, leaving lunar researchers perplexed regarding the origins of these intriguing domes. The Lunar-VISE scientific team will utilize insights gained from the Gruithuisen Domes, along with existing knowledge from other silicic volcanic sites on the Moon, to reconstruct the timeline of its evolution and volcanic activity.

“We are starting to have tangible hardware and are constructing our instruments, and now we understand how we will deploy them on the lunar surface and the design of our rover,” states Lunar-VISE’s co-investigator Jessica Sunshine, a professor of astronomy and geology at the University of Maryland. “What began as a concept and then illustrations in a proposal is now truly becoming a reality. While the project has considerable work ahead, particularly in coordinating with Firefly, we are entering an exciting phase that brings us tantalizingly close to transitioning from paper to the Moon.”

In the next year, the Lunar-VISE team expects to conduct the final evaluation, or the System Integration and Acceptance Reviews (SIR), in August to verify that all components are appropriate and secure for their intended operations.

“I am very proud of our Lunar-VISE team for designing, constructing, and testing our payload instruments, preparing us for integration onto Firefly’s Ghost lunar lander and rover,” declares Principal Investigator Kerri Donaldson Hanna, an associate professor in UCF’s Department of Physics. “The Lunar-VISE team eagerly anticipates collaborating with Firefly to strategize our scientific and exploratory efforts at the Gruithuisen Domes in 2028.”