The primary objective of Artemis 1 when it takes off, hopefully on Aug. 29, is to test the brand-new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In a few years, NASA anticipates that this technological combination will enable a lunar landing.
However, this means that Artemis 1 will be traveling to the moon, which is a chance that cannot be passed up. As a result, it will be carrying 10 more payloads. Lunar IceCube and Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper are two cubesats used to look for water on the moon (LunaH-Map).
Since would-be explorers seek to collect breathing air and rocket fuel from the ice, the discovery of water is essential for long-duration missions as humanity return to the moon - and journey beyond.
Kentucky's Morehead State University is creating Lunar IceCube. A NASA instrument called the Broadband Infrared Compact High-Resolution Exploration Spectrometer (BIRCHES), which weighs 31 pounds (14 kilograms), will be mounted on the cubesat. It will map water on the lunar surface as well as in the exosphere, the thin layer of gas that surrounds the moon and functions as a very feeble substitute for Earth's atmosphere.
According to NASA exploration research and development manager Mark Lupisella, "Lunar IceCube will help pave the way for human missions through significantly less expensive robotic missions and by addressing water dynamics on the moon." This is critical for research, but it may also have long-term effects on lowering the cost of human trips.
Additionally, the trip will test a brand-new ion propulsion thruster that, in the words of NASA, "operates electrically using small amounts of propellant to give a small push and drive the spacecraft along its path, similar to that of butterfly wings."
On the other hand, the Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper (LunaH-Map) will be investigating previously recognized possible water ice regions in the south pole of the moon. Arizona State University is creating the 30 lb (13.6 kg) cubesat.
LunaH-Map will map near-surface hydrogen deposits in the top 3 feet (1 meter) of the moon, including deposits in areas that are always under the shadow, for the course of its anticipated 60-day mission. According to NASA, the outcome will be the most thorough map of water ice near the south pole ever created by scientists.
Future moon and beyond missions will benefit from all the data collected by Artemis 1's auxiliary payloads. NASA wants Artemis 1 to launch an extensive lunar exploration program to establish a long-lasting presence on the moon.
