NASA-Funded Mission to the Moon's Far Side Is Starting to Look Pretty Cool

A new payload has been added to Firefly’s upcoming mission to the far side of the Moon, one that will explore the lunar subsurface to find out if it can support future infrastructure.

WatchThe New M3-Powered iMacs Are Triggering Serious Deja Vu CCShare SubtitlesOffEnglishSPIDER is designed to capture seismic data from the lunar surface for up to 14 days. Using this data, scientists will be able to learn more about the geological properties of the Moon’s subsurface, as well as the presence of water ice beneath the surface, which could support future infrastructure as part of upcoming missions to Earth’s satellite. Advertisement “Any infrastructure built on other worlds will depend on a deep understanding of the [on site] subsurface composition—and we’re honored to collaborate with the international community to help unlock critical insights for sustaining human life beyond Earth,” Matt Pearson, Co-Founder and Chief Exploration Officer at Fleet Space Technologies, said in a statement.AdvertisementThe Blue Ghost lander will provide power and communications for SPIDER on the lunar surface.SPIDER is part of the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars initiative, which is aligned with NASA’s efforts to use the Moon as a gateway to get to Mars. “The Firefly team welcomes Fleet Space on our far side lunar mission that will serve as a critical building block for future human and robotic missions to come,” Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, said in a statement.AdvertisementTexas-based Firefly Aerospace aims to provide private and public customers with access to space, delivering payloads to the surface of the Moon. The company Related article: Despite being a novice in the space industry, the company has already landed two NASA contracts. In 2021, NASA selected Firefly to deliver a suite of 10 scientific experiments to the Moon’s near side as part of a $93.3 million contract. This first mission, Blue Ghost 1, is scheduled to launch in 2024, carrying an additional two commercial payloads on board. Earlier this year, AdvertisementFirefly isn’t the only company working on developing commercial deliveries to the lunar surface as part of a growing space economy. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic has been hard at work developing its These companies are racing to become the first private venture to land on the surface of the Moon. Israel’s Bersheet lander suffered a similar fate in its own attempt to become the first private lander to reach the lunar surface.AdvertisementPrivate lunar lander missions are set to provide more access to the Moon’s surface with a higher rate of trips to Earth’s satellite at a cheaper price, regardless of who touches down on the lunar surface first.For more spaceflight in your life, follow us on X and bookmark Gizmodo’s dedicated

Based on reporting by gizmodo.com.