NASA has launched a special satellite into space to search for water on the moon. This satellite, called Lunar Trailblazer, was sent from Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Scientists believe there might be ice in certain areas of the moon, especially in places that are always in the dark. Finding water on the moon is important because it can help astronauts in future missions.

The Lunar Trailblazer is a small satellite, about the size of a dishwasher. It weighs 200 kg and becomes 3.5 meters wide when its solar panels are fully opened. This satellite will orbit the moon and map the locations of water on its surface.

NASA's satellite was not the only thing on the rocket. The main payload of the launch was a lunar lander mission led by intuitive machines, while the Lunar Trailblazer was a secondary payload. Despite being smaller, it has an important task—helping scientists understand how much water is on the moon and where it is located.

Why is finding water on the moon important?

For a long time, people thought the moon was completely dry. However, scientists have found small amounts of water even in areas that receive sunlight. The biggest mystery remains about the permanently shadowed craters at the moon’s poles. These areas are freezing and could have large amounts of ice.

If water exists on the moon, it can be very useful for future space missions. It could be used for drinking, creating oxygen for astronauts to breathe, and even making rocket fuel by breaking it down into hydrogen and oxygen. This would make deep space exploration easier since astronauts wouldn’t have to bring large amounts of water from Earth.

Planetary scientist Bethany Ehlmann, the mission’s principal investigator, said, “We see tiny amounts of water on sunlit portions of the moon, which is mysterious.” She added, “The most interesting aspect for many is the potentially large amounts of ice in the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles. Lunar Trailblazer will peer inside to see how much is at the surface.”

How will the lunar trailblazer find water?

The Lunar Trailblazer will fly around the moon several times before getting into position for its main mission. It will eventually settle into an orbit 100 km above the moon’s surface and use special instruments to take detailed pictures. This will help scientists understand the form, distribution, and amount of water on the moon.

The spacecraft has two key instruments to help find water on the moon. The Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM) will measure the surface temperature to understand how heat affects water movement. The High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) will detect water by studying the light reflected from the moon’s surface.

University of Oxford planetary scientist Tristram Warren, who worked on the LTM instrument, explained its role by saying, “We believe that the movement of water on the moon is likely driven by the surface temperature. So by measuring the presence and amount of water via the HVM3 instrument and the surface temperature via the LTM instrument, we can better understand this relationship.”

Where does the moon’s water come from?

Scientists think the moon's water comes from different sources. One possibility is that the sun's charged particles react with moon minerals to create water. Another source could be comets and meteorites that brought water to the moon over billions of years. Some water might also be trapped inside lunar rocks and dust. While scientists are sure that water exists on the moon, the exact amount is still unknown, but it could be hundreds of millions of tonnes.

Understanding the moon’s water will help earth science

The Lunar Trailblazer mission is not just about helping astronauts. Scientists also want to understand the origins of water on the moon. Since the moon has been orbiting Earth since its formation, studying lunar water can give clues about how water first appeared on our planet.

Warren explained, “Apart from for human exploration, lunar water is also scientifically very exciting. The moon has been orbiting near the Earth almost since the formation of the Earth itself. So understanding the origin of the lunar water might help us to understand the origin of water on the Earth.”

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