Back
European Space Agency’s (ESA) moon mapping mission LUMI (Lunar Mapper and Inspector) has kicked off, giving Estonia a significant role in this ambitious endeavor. The mission aims to map the Moon’s south pole and create its three-dimensional altitude model.
“Currently, we do not have a high-quality map of the area for complex landing missions and surface operations. Specifically, there is no sufficiently detailed digital elevation model (DEM) of the terrain and the contours that could guide these missions with precision,” described Kimberly Sofge, project manager for lunar missions at TRL Space, the Czech company coordinating the project.
The camera system being developed is expected to create a digital altitude model with 50 cm horizontal resolution, even in the weakened light conditions of the Moon’s polar regions. The low accuracy (1.5- to 5-meter data precision) of current models means that small, one-meter surface features may go unnoticed. LUMI’s goal is to achieve an altitude model with up to 10 times better resolution than current models.
According to Mihkel Pajusalu, the instrument lead scientist of the project and associate professor of space technology at the Tartu Observatory of the University of Tartu, this is the first time Estonian scientists have such a significant role in a European Space Agency mission. “The mission aims to photograph the southern pole of the Moon during several passes, covering a range of about a couple of hundred kilometers.
The high-resolution elevation map created from the collected data will help prepare future crewed and uncrewed missions to the Moon. The map will enable more precise planning of safe landing sites and activities on the lunar surface, including path planning. An interesting outcome will also be the mapping of lunar cave entrances,” explained Pajusalu.
If everything goes as planned, the mission will begin mapping the Moon by the end of this decade. However, a number of challenges need to be addressed before the satellite is launched into space. “The biggest bottleneck is getting the collected data back to Earth. This information will surely affect the model’s quality. The Moon’s data communication network is in the making, but it doesn’t exist yet,” said Pajusalu.
A new race to reach the Moon is underway globally, and lunar research is also important at the Tartu Observatory. “We are developing a mission planning system for the Moon, participating in the creation of an autonomous lunar rover prototype in the GALEON project, and building our own rover called KuupKulgur. All these projects require precise data about the Moon, which makes the information from the LUMI mission very valuable to us in many ways,” Pajusalu explained. Tartu Observatory has been a part of the LUMI consortium for nearly two years and the project has now officially entered the development stage.
The mission will provide invaluable data that is essential for planning future Moon-related missions as well as conducting scientific research. It will also allow the testing and development of new space technologies, including satellite mapping capabilities. The camera system for the mission is being developed and built by the Estonian company CrystalSpace. The aim is to achieve maximum efficiency while keeping costs as low as possible and using simple but optimized cameras for this mission. The knowledge and experience gained from the mission will help make future missions even more accurate and cost-effective, opening up new opportunities for both scientists and space companies.
“CrystalSpace has developed and produced space camera systems for over 11 years, supplying them to ESA, NASA, and private sector missions. The keyword for us in 2025 is the Moon, as four different lunar rover missions with CrystalSpace cameras will reach the Moon, and the innovative LUMI mission is under development. A detailed Moon map forms the basis for all future lunar missions and paves the way for the successful planning of a Moon base,” said CrystalSpace CEO and founder Pätris Halapuu.
The LUMI space mission has been selected as one of the potential candidates for the European Space Agency’s Small Missions for Exploration: Destination Moon program, from more than 70 candidates. The mission is coordinated by the Czech company TRL Space. The project is one of seven that have reached the development phase. Two missions will be chosen after the final selection, with the launch planned by the end of this decade. The next selection will take place in November 2025.
This article was originally published on the page of Tartu Observatory, Univeristy of Tartu.
If this peek into an observatory has you seeing stars, don’t just stargaze! Zoom into our next article and read more about how Dark matter’s speed, accounting for 85% of the universe’s matter, is illuminated by lopsided galaxies!
