NASA talks about the most important scientific events in the first robotic Artemis landing on the moon

NASA will host a media conference call at 2 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, November 29 to discuss the science payloads flying aboard the first commercial robotic flight to the lunar surface as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative under the Artemis program. .

Astrobotic Technologies will carry NASA’s rover and commercial payloads to the Moon, and will launch the Peregrine lander on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket. The ULA Vulcan rocket will launch no later than Sunday, December 24, from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Peregrine lunar lander will land on the moon’s surface in early 2024.

Audio of the call will be broadcast on the agency’s website at:

NASA TV Live

The briefing participants are:

• Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Ryan Watkins, program scientist, Office of Exploration Science Strategy and Integration, NASA Headquarters
• Chris Colbert, CLPS program manager, NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston
• John Thornton, CEO, Astrobotic, Pittsburgh

To participate by phone, media outlets must RSVP no later than two hours before the briefing to: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

NASA awarded a task order to deliver science payloads to Astrobotic in May 2019. Among the items on its lander, Peregrine Mission One will carry NASA payloads that investigate the Moon’s exosphere, the thermal properties of lunar regolith, and the abundance of hydrogen in the soil at the landing site. And magnetic fields, in addition to monitoring the radiation environment.

Through Artemis, NASA is working with multiple CLPS suppliers to establish a regular cadence of payload delivery to the Moon to conduct experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the lunar surface. This group of companies may bid on mission orders to deliver NASA payloads to the Moon. Mission orders include payload integration and operations, launch from Earth, and lunar landing. The maximum cumulative value of the indefinite-delivery and indefinite-quantity CLPS contracts is $2.6 billion through 2028.

With CLPS, as well as with human exploration near the lunar south pole, NASA will establish a long-term cadence for lunar missions in preparation for sending the first astronauts to Mars.

For more Artemis updates, follow on:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

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Karen Fox/Alyse Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600 / 202-358-2546
karen.fox@nasa.gov / alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov

Nilofar Ramji
Johnson Space Center in Houston
281-483-5111
nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov

Antonia Jaramillo
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-501-8425
antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov